


The General's Bet - A Reylo Fan Fiction

by ElleRen31



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo - Freeform, Captain Phasma, Eventual Smut, F/M, General Hux - Freeform, Humor, Kylo Ren - Freeform, Rey - Freeform, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoilers, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Spoilers, Strong Language, fan fiction, mature themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 17:37:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 39,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16142162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElleRen31/pseuds/ElleRen31
Summary: COMPLETE! General Hux has offered a bet to the new Supreme Leader - Kylo Ren - involving the scavenger Rey of Jakku. Takes place after 'The Last Jedi', but with some minor changes to events from the movie. Loosely based off the film 'She's All That'. Mature rated for future strong language, themes and content.





	1. Dangerous Night

*inspired by 'Dangerous Night' by Thirty Seconds to Mars.*

They had escaped. What was left of the Resistance had fled Crait on that blasted piece of junk of a ship that SHE now piloted.

He was humiliated. She rejected his offer back on the Supremacy to join him in creating a new order. He had even said PLEASE. His mouth felt dry and sick at the memory of the word he had let spill so weakly from his lips.

And then there was his Uncle. That old Jedi had outsmarted him in a manner that he had never expected, even with all his previous training from Snoke. Force projection? The old man was as smart as he was elusive. But his anger didn't stop there. After the brass trinket had faded away from his palm, he could feel the waves of the Force run through his veins and he knew at once that Luke was no more.

The urgency for the map that led to Skywalker, now all a waste. All he ever wanted was to act out on the revenge he felt he deeply owed his Uncle. He would never get a chance to redeem himself in a true battle against the Jedi. He clenched his fists in anger as he stormed out of the hole that had been blasted into the metal enclosure that had been protecting the Resistance fighters.

Several troopers saw him leave and abandoned their search of the deserted base, following him back towards his ship.

General Hux was waiting at the foot of the ramp for him as he approached.

"Your orders, Supreme Leader?" Hux asked in a less than enthused tone. He said nothing as he brushed past the man, stomping up the metal ramp and into the hub of the ship.

General Hux sighed and rolled his eyes. He turned sharply on his heel, a scrape of red salt exposed at the motion. He reentered the ship, hands clasped tightly behind his back. His head held high with authority.

"Supreme Leader." Hux spoke again. It wasn't a question this time. A light command. "Your orders."

It was quiet as the pilot glanced at the Supreme Leader, awaiting his answer. The Supreme Leader sat grumpily near the control panels of his ship.

"Take us back to the Finalizer." came his gruff reply.

"Are we not pursuing the Resistance?" Hux asked, rocking forward slightly on his toes - clearly agitated by the answer.

"Skywalker has passed."

The cabin of the ship went silent.

"And..... You know this, how?" Came Hux's skeptical response.

"I can feel it. His presence is no more."

"What if this is another trick?" Hux pressed.

"We return to the Finalizer." The Supreme Leader repeated. Without another word, the pilot began tapping away at the controls as they prepared to depart Crait.

xXx

The command shuttle docked itself in the hanger of the Finalizer. There was damage from where FN-2187 and the Resistance Pilot had stolen a TIE fighter just days earlier. There had been no time to assess the damage as most of the First Orders attention had quickly turned to Starkiller Base and the attack on Takodana. Not to mention the attack on the Hosnian System, before the Resistance so rudely destroyed the cold planet.

The Supreme Leader angrily paraded down the halls of the Finalizer, General Hux trailing behind. They were approached by Captain Phasma, who had clearly been awaiting their arrival.

"Sir, welcome back." She said stiffly. The Supreme Leader grunted and brushed her off. He continued down the hall. General Hux stopped to address the captain.

"What's his deal?" She asked quietly under her chrome mask.

"It seems Skywalker has passed on of his own accord." Hux relayed.

"I see." Phasma said, turning her head slightly to watch the Supreme Leaders retreating back. "And our orders?"

"He hasn't given any." Hux said, displeased.

"The Resistance. I assume they got away?"

Hux grimaced.

"It was that girl again. I'm sure of it."

"The one who killed Leader Snoke and his guards?"

"Who else could it be?" Hux replied. He glanced down the hall, taking note that the Supreme Leader had moved on to another part of the cruiser.

"He lets his personal feelings get in the way of everything." Hux complained. "Leader Snoke warned him of this countless times."

"What makes her so special?" Phasma wondered aloud.

"I don't care how special she is." Hux said coldly. "She murdered Leader Snoke and for that she must pay."

"As long as the Supreme Leader allows it." Phasma added. Hux made a face at the captain.

"Back to your post." He said nastily. Phasma merely gave him a curt nod of her head before heading towards the hangers of the cruiser. Hux continued forward towards the command deck, hoping the Supreme Leader would come back to his senses and soon.

xXx

The Supreme Leader paced in the room he typically occupied on the Finalizer. He needed to gather his thoughts and make decisions quickly. As Snokes predecessor, the entire First Order was looking to him for guidance and he had barely any time to assess his new rank of power.

He was still too angry to think clearly. Bested by the girl again. Rey of Jakku. First on Starkiller Base. Then in the throne room, after he had already decided his allegiance was to her and not Snoke. And again on Crait as she helped the Resistance flee on that damn freighter.

Why could he not stop thinking about her? She was his enemy, yet they had not one - but two fleeting moments of unity that he played over and over inside his head. Their hands in front of the fire. The battle against the Praetorian guards. Her hand on the side of leg as she balanced and blocked the incoming attacks. She had lent him Anakin's saber as a means to take out the guard who had him in a headlock. And then there was the way she used his given name. How he swore in the elevator to himself that she would be the only being allowed to utter the name and keep their life.

He was a man on fire and she was his violent desire.

This was proving to be problematic as by now the entire First Order believed her to be the cause of Snokes death. However this was not completely true. She played a part in his death, yes. He had chosen to kill Snoke instead of her. To save her life. But she was not the one who ignited the saber into his torso. It had been himself. He had freed himself of the torture from the mysterious giant. He took one step closer to fulfilling his hopes of starting a new order of the galaxy. But now he had reached a blockade. One with chocolate brown hair and hazel eyes.

He gripped at his hair as he gritted his teeth. He shouldn't be feeling this way about a woman at a time like this. Especially not her. It had been a dangerous night and he was crossing the line with his thoughts of her. They had started as strangers, and now she was all he ever wanted. Yet he vowed to his Uncle he would destroy her. Guilt seeped its way into him and his hands instinctively drew to his saber at his side.

The vision he had of her turning to the dark side brought itself forth inside his muddled thoughts. She said she saw him turn to the light with her help. But he had seen her turn to the dark. The true meaning of this vision was still clouded.

He needed to consult with the General on their next course of action. No matter what it was, he knew deep down it would involve her. Hux wanted her killed. He stupidly believed she had single handedly taken down Snoke and his men. He paid no thought about the possibility that Hux might not fully believe this. But she traveled with the Resistance. And if he was going to start his new order, the Resistance needed to end.

He exited the room in a huff, making his way to the command deck. He passed by several Stormtroopers who avoided his angry strides, hugging close to the walls as they walked.

The Supreme Leader burst into the command deck, startling several ComLink operators at their stations.

"Where is Hux?" He demanded of Officer Unamo as she turned sharply to greet him.

"Excuse me?" She stuttered.

"Red hair? Yells at everyone?" The Supreme Leader sarcastically replied, his fist flexing with agitation.

"General Hux went back to the docking bay to assess the damages." She reported quickly.

With an annoyed grunt, he turned and stalked off the bridge, igniting his saber and slicing through the door on the way out.

Officer Unamo sighed.

"Maintenance to the command bridge." She ordered via her headset.

xXx

Upon entering the docking bay, General Hux and Officer Thanisson were standing shoulder to shoulder, chuckling about something. It angered the Supreme Leader. They were supposed to be working and definitely not enjoying themselves.

"General!" The Supreme Leader barked. The men jumped and immediately turned towards his approaching figure.

Thanisson immediately saluted to the Supreme Leader. Hux made no motion to offer such royalties.

"You find the damage the traitor and the Resistance pilot did to the hanger comical?" He seethed.

"No sir, Supreme Leader." Thanisson replied, his eyes flicking quickly to Hux.

"Then what is so distracting to your duties?" The Supreme Leader questioned.

"Well, I..." Thanisson stuttered.

The Supreme Leader had enough. He raised his hand to Thanisson and began to pull the truth from the officer.

The General and the Officer had been chortling about something the General brought up as a means of humiliating the Supreme Leader. His involvement with the girl.

Hux obviously found the Supreme Leaders interest in her intriguing. His previous words to him in regards to keeping his personal feelings separate from Snokes orders echoed in his head.

The Supreme Leader let go of Thanisson's thoughts and the lad fell forward slightly at the motion.

"Explain yourself, General." he commanded Hux.

"Supreme Leader, I only suggested a humorous idea of retaliation." General Hux said, placing his hands behind his back, jutting his chin out as a show of no fear.

"A passing thought of what if you tricked the girl into thinking we surrendered?" A smirk played at the corner of Hux's mouth. "Infiltrate the Resistance from the inside. Gain her trust. And then execute them like back in the days of the Clone Wars."

"She is strong with the Force. She would be hard to convince." The Supreme Leader countered the ludicrous idea.

"If anyone could do it, it would be you Supreme Leader." General Hux pressed.

"I will do no such thing." The Supreme Leader snapped.

"You won't?" Hux said, his dark eyes gleaming with tease. "Or can't?"

The Supreme Leader glared at his General. Hux did not back down, sizing himself up to the Supreme Leader.

"Are you daring me, General?" The Supreme Leader growled.

"More of a bet, Supreme Leader." Hux purred back.

The men stared at each other another moment before the Supreme Leader, quick as lightning, grabbed the General's hand into his own and tugged it down in a rough handshake.

"Name your terms, General."

"My pleasure, Supreme Leader."


	2. The Scavenger

"You have six weeks." General Hux told the Supreme Leader.

"Understood." The Supreme Leader replied. He turned his attention to Officer Thanisson.

"Send for my Knights." He commanded.

"Yes, Supreme Leader." Thanisson said, issuing a salute once again. He turned and made his way out of the hanger.

"What will you do now, Supreme Leader?" General Hux asked of the Supreme Leader.

"We've got a freighter to find." He said simply.

"Excellent." General Hux hissed.

xXx

The Millennium Falcon had landed on an asteroid refueling station on the Outer Rim of the galaxy. They had to be quick. They had escaped the First Order and Rey knew that Ben was NOT happy about it. The longer it took them to leave the territory surrounding Crait, the easier it would be for the First Order to find them once again.

Leia was speaking with some of the Resistance Officers, trying to decide what their next destination would be. She caught Rey staring at her and offered a small smile in return. Finn still sat in the nook of the Falcon next to Rose, still unconscious following the battle on Crait.

Poe and Chewie climbed back into the Falcon after finishing the refueling process.

"Do we have a course?" He asked Rey. She shook her head and glanced back over her shoulder at Leia.

"We've been here too long." He said, brushing past her to get to Leia.

"We need to get out of here soon, General." Poe interrupted Leia and the other officers. Leia nearly snorted.

"Thank you Captain obvious." Leia said to Poe, causing him to frown.

"I'm afraid we don't have many choices of where to go. Our allies have yet to respond to the message we sent on Crait. And all remaining bases have been abandoned for years."

"What's the matter with just picking one?"

"Well, the First Order not easily finding us is one thing." The General said, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. "And picking a base in the best condition for our needs is another."

Chewie roared from the cockpit

"What is it Chewie?" Leia asked the Wookiee. He grumbled loudly and indicated a flashing button on the dash of the control panel.

"An incoming message?" She repeated. "From who?"

"Has someone responded to our distress signal?" Commander D'Acy asked Leia hopefully.

Chewie pressed a button and the holo projector in the Falcons hub blazed to life in a cobalt hue.

"This is General Hux of the First Order, contacting the Resistance aboard the Millennium Falcon." came Hux over the loud speaker.

"Oh great." Poe said, crossing his arms in annoyance. "See? They found us already."

"Shhh!" Leia shushed Poe.

"Under the orders of Supreme Leader Ren, we wish to issue a surrender."

There was a buzz amongst the Resistance members as they were taken aback by Hux's announcement.

"It's a trap!" Someone said from the crowd. Leia shushed the crowd again.

"How can we trust you?" She asked warily.

"We have been informed of the death of Skywalker." Hux said. There were murmurs amongst the crowd again and Leia knew that it was her son who had delivered the news of Luke to the First Order.

"We have no need to fight you for Skywalker anymore now that he is gone. Therefore, the Supreme Leader has called off our attack against the Resistance."

The room was silent. No one knew if they should believe Hux or celebrate that the First Order was retreating from battle.

"There is one condition." Hux continued. "We must meet and discuss the terms of surrender in person."

"I'll go." Leia said quickly.

"No, General!" Poe said, grabbing Leia's arm.

"The Supreme Leader was very specific in his instructions." Hux purred. You could hear his sneer through the communications system.

"He will speak to one person and one person only."

The Resistance members looked at each other, confused almost. Rey could feel her heart plummet to her stomach.

"The scavenger."

Rey could feel all eyes on her and her face went red.

"No!" Finn shouted, standing up from the nook. Leia looked at Rey sadly.

"Then prepare to be sought out and destroyed." Hux stated loudly.

"Wait!" Rey found herself saying.

"Rey. Don't." Finn said, coming up to her and looking her straight in the face.

"I have to." Rey whispered.

"You don't have to talk to that monster." Finn told her. "I know the First Order. Something isn't right."

"Finn... What if this is the only way?" She asked. "What if this can grant us the peace we need?"

"I don't trust him." Poe said, coming up behind Rey.

"Why does it have to be her? Why can't he talk to Leia?" Finn complained to them.

"Leia is his mother. He isn't going to want to talk to her. Especially after what he did to Han." Rey said.

Finn hung his head as Leia came over to Rey.

"Rey..." She said quietly, reaching for one of Rey's hands and holding it softly in her own.

"You don't need to do this. This is a very dangerous situation." the General told her.

"But what if -" Rey began but Leia cut her off.

"I may have lost my son, but I am still his mother. Even I don't know if he can be trusted at this point. I've attempted to reach him through the Force several times. And even though my powers are weak, I at least know he blocks me from sensing his true intentions."

Rey frowned, tears tugging at her eyes.

"He trusts you. That I can tell. Therefore, I trust you as well." Leia told her, squeezing her hand.

What could Leia mean that Ben trusts her? She could sense that?

"I don't like to be kept waiting." Hux said over the intercom huffily.

"Fine." Rey said loudly. "I accept."

"Excellent." Hux purred. "We will send you our coordinates. You have 2 hours to arrive."

The communication was abruptly ended. A series of beeps came through to the cockpit as the Finalizer coordinates were patched through to the Falcons tracking system.

"Are you sure about this?" Poe asked Rey. She shook her head.

"No. But what choice do we have? If I don't go they will destroy us."

"We could escape again!" Poe encouraged.

"That will only make things worse." Rey said, turning and walking to the cockpit to join Chewie.

"You could die." Finn said, following her.

"This coming from the man who just tried to sacrifice himself?" Rey shot at Finn. He looked down, obviously hurt.

"Besides." Rey said, her eyes sad. "You have Rose to look after." They both looked out of the cockpit towards the nook where Rose still slept.

"Rey, I -" Finn said, unable to finish his thought.

"I'm doing this for the Resistance. For Leia." Rey said as she gently picked up a Porg from the pilots seat before sitting herself down on the worn leather.

"I'll consult with the General on an attack plan. We must be cautious." Poe said to Finn and Rey before heading back to speak with Leia.

Rey ignored Finn's gaze at her and focused on piloting the Falcon to the Finalizer.

xXx

The Falcon approached the First Order Cruiser at a timid speed. The side of the docking bay on the Finalizer slowly crept open and once wide enough, two TIE fighters launched from the hanger. Their screams making Rey flinch.

Her hands tightened on the controls of the Falcon and Chewie gave a quiet roar next to her. The TIEs did not attack, but they circled the Falcon as she made her descent into the hanger.

"Take care of the Falcon." Rey said to Poe as she exited the cockpit. Poe nodded and clasped a hand to her shoulder, gently squeezing it. She gave him a small smile.

Finn watched with pained eyes as Rey glanced over at the Nook.

"Finn?" Rose sleepily asked, having awakened from the landing. Finn's attention quickly went to Rose and Rey turned her head away. Leia reached out for a hug, which Rey gladly accepted.

She lowered the ramp of the Falcon and almost immediately two Stormtroopers forced their way onboard, pointing their blasters.

The Resistance all took a collective step back. Two hooded black figures went on board as the Stormtroopers continued to hold their blasters in position. Finn stood up quickly, his eyes wide. It was almost as if two Kylo Ren's had boarded the ship.

Rey's eyes narrowed as she looked between the two figures. There was something off. Neither of these men were Ben.

"You're coming with us, scavenger." Said one of the men through their voice distorting mask.

"I thought I was meeting with the Supreme Leader." Rey said.

"He sent us to get you." The other man said. He grabbed for her hands and Rey could see Poe flinch out of the corner of her eye.

She was placed in a thick pair of silver cuffs that felt warm underneath her wrists. The man who had put the cuffs on Rey tugged on her arm and turned her around to face the onlookers huddled in the hub of the Falcon.

"You are instructed to leave." The first man said.

"What about Rey?" Finn asked, still standing.

"You'll get your precious scavenger back." The man said.

"But -" Finn started but Leia held up her hand.

"We understand." Leia said calmly to the man. The Stormtroopers backed out of the Falcon, their guns still held up.

"We will be in contact. If you're lucky." The man said. The second man tugged at Rey's arm and practically dragged her off the Falcon.

"REY!" Rey could hear Finn shout and the last thing she saw of her friend was pulling him away from the door of the ramp.

The engines of the Falcon roared as it exited the hanger and Rey looked back at the ship, a sinking feeling washing over her.

Her arm was tugged again and Rey angrily yanked it free of the mans grasp.

"I can walk." She said rudely. The man looked up at the other as they walked on either side of her.

"She can't try anything, the cuffs suppress her powers." The first man said to the second.

Rey's face fell at the explanation of the strange cuffs around her wrists.

"Keep walking, scavenger." Was all the second man said to her.

They entered an elevator that took them up a few floor before opening to a long hallway leading to a door at the far end. There were two other cloaked men standing on either side of the door who opened the door for them.

It was then she saw him, but he wasn't Ben this time. He was the Supreme Leader.


	3. Someday

*briefly inspired by 'Someday' by Nickelback. Yes, I know. A Nickelback song. I apologize.*

The room was metallic and dimly lit. A metal throne sat atop a few steps with Ben perched almost lazily in its seat. A ginger haired man to his right, a trooper in a chrome suit to his left. There are another two men in black in either corner of the room.

"Thank you, my Knights." Ben said suddenly, making Rey jump at the sound. If Rey didn't know any better, she thought she spied a smirk cross his lips.

"THAT is the scavenger???" The ginger man said, sounding shocked. He took a few steps down from next to the throne and slowly approached Rey, almost stalking her like an animal as he circled her figure.

"I was expecting..... Someone around Phasma's stature." He commented aloud. "No offense." He said to the trooper clad in chrome.

"None taken, General Hux." Came a female voice from behind the large mask. Rey was surprised at this. A female captain? Rey wondered what she looked like under all that armor, especially since her own looks were so shocking to the General.

"She's cleaner than I expected." The General said, stopping almost in front of her, and tilting his head to the side.

Rey's eyes flicked up to Ben. He did not move from his seat. He also did not meet her gaze.

"A delicate face." Hux said, quietly. Obviously not quiet enough, as Ben slowly straightened in his chair, closely watching Hux's every move. Phasma shifted uncomfortably.

Hux reached out a hand towards her chin. Rey's heart was pounding. The cuffs burned at her wrists since she was unable to use the Force to strike the man down. So she did the first thing that came to mind. She opened her mouth and snapped forward towards the mans thumb. Hux sharply drew back his hand, holding it close to his chest in protection.

A small chuckle echoed from behind Phasma's mask. Ben allowed his figure to shrink back comfortably into his seat.

'That's my girl.' he couldn't help but think.

"You're right. She is feisty." Hux sneered, making his way back to his post next to Ben.

Rey could feel her face slightly warm. Had Ben really called her feisty? Wait, why did that matter? He couldn't possibly have meant it as a positive characteristic. She slightly shook her head of her thoughts and cleared her throat.

"Shall we discuss these terms, Kylo Ren?" Rey asked.

"So we're back to Kylo Ren now, hmm?" Ben replied, annoyed this was her choice of name for him.

"You will address him as Supreme Leader." Hux corrected her. Rey made a face at the man. He merely smirked back.

"First, we need to address your crimes against the First Order." Ben said.

"My crimes?!?" Rey asked, offended.

"Do not pretend to be ignorant! You are charged with murder of the former Supreme Leader Snoke!" General Hux spat at her.

Rey's mouth hung open in surprise and before she could protest, she felt her jaw snap shut. She tried to open her mouth in protest but realized she was unable to. Her eyes burned with panic as she looked at Ben. He had his index finger extended and she knew he was the one literally keeping her mouth shut. He gave a small shake of his head that only she noticed. He lowered his finger and Rey could feel the pressure release from her jaw. She glared daggers at him as Hux continued to prattle on about 'her crimes'.

"We are prepared to take you prisoner if the Resistance does not comply with our terms of surrender." she heard Hux say. Rey began to shake with anger.

"However, if the Resistance agrees to the terms, we will release you back to the rebels." he finished. "Do we have them online?" He asked one of the Knights. One of the cloaked men nodded and indicated a holo projector to the side of the room.

So these were the fabled Knights of Ren. With his new position as Supreme Leader, Ben had obviously chosen to be his guards. They were menacing and mysterious at the same time. Rey wondered if all of them had Force abilities.

"Hello?" came Poe's voice through the holo projector. His panicked face was soon brought up as a hologram.

"This is Captain Dameron of the Resistance."

"Ah, the pilot." Ben said. Poe and Rey made faces at this term.

"We left like you asked. Now return Rey to us." Poe nearly demanded.

"There is still the matter of our terms of surrender." Ben said. "In exchange for the criminals return, we demand you cease any attacks on the First Order."

"Criminal?" Poe asked, confused.

"She murdered the former Supreme Leader Snoke." Hux butted in. Poe made another face, one of doubt.

So was this Ben's plan all along? Hold her hostage under false pretenses of discussing surrender only to get the Resistance to bow to the First Orders every whim for her safety? Without Luke, she was the greatest threat the First Order had.

"And in exchange?" Poe countered.

"We will retreat our attacks as well." Ben said. "Skywalker is no longer a threat. But if there is any retaliation, we will destroy the criminal."

Poe's head turned on the hologram. He was muttering something to someone off screen.

"And where will we retrieve the 'criminal'?" Poe asked, making air quotations with his hands. Ben frowned. Hux seethed. Rey smirked.

"We will deliver her to your new base."

"Unacceptable." Poe said quickly.

"Come now, Captain." Ben said arrogantly. "Surely if we initiate this truce, we can know where each others operations are without issue?"

Poe grumbled and turned his head. Rey could only assume he was talking to Leia.

"Fine." Poe finally said begrudgingly.

"So it's done then." Ben said. "Send us your coordinates within the hour." He demanded before abruptly cutting off the communications.

"Prepare my ship." Ben ordered Phasma. She nodded to Ben and stepped down to exit the room. Rey's head turned to watch her leave and she could have sworn the woman's large helmet titled towards her in return.

"General, await the coordinates on the command bridge."

Hux turned without acknowledging Ben and gave Rey an intense glare of distaste as he exited the room. All that was left in the room was Rey, Ben, and his Knights. Ben stood from his seat and walked slowly towards her. Rey felt her body tense, warning her to take a step back from him. But she stood firm, her hands clenching into fists under the cuffs, the burn from them becoming intense as it held back her powers.

"What are you up to, Supreme Leader?" Rey said through gritted teeth.

"Is this how you thank me?" Ben said.

"Thank you? For what?"

"If it wasn't for me - you'd be dead by now, criminal." he said scathingly.

"You and I both know it was YOU who killed Snoke." Rey hissed. "Why did you bring me here?"

"We wanted to surrender. Haven't you been listening?" He said, the last part laced with sarcasm.

"I don't believe you." Rey said, struggling through the pain shooting through her arms.

"Suit yourself." Ben said, acting as if he didn't care. She would believe. He would make her believe. He wouldn't back down from a challenge, let alone a bet.

"Why did you need me?" She asked.

Ben hesitated as he felt a light flush to his cheeks at her choice of words.

"To ensure I got what I wanted." He said matter of factly.

"And did you?" Rey asked coldly.

He looked her up and down in a way that made Rey uncomfortable.

"That remains to be seen, criminal." Ben repeated.

"I am NOT a criminal." Rey snapped.

Ben took two steps towards her, closing the distance between them. Rey could sense the Knights shift uneasily at his actions.

Ben lifted his right hand towards her. She noticed his lack of gloves as she watched his hand lift itself to her chin, much like Hux had tried to do earlier. She did not bite this time.

His thumb hovered over her lips, her breath hot on his hand as she took in shuddering breaths. He leaned in close to her ear as he held her chin in place, whispering.

"Someday. Somehow. I'm going to make this all right. But not right now."

Rey shuddered at his words. Or maybe it was his breath on her neck? She was too nervous to tell. What did he mean he was going to make this all right?

As Ben drew his head away from her ear, his mouth was inches from hers and she was frightened for a moment that he was going to try to kiss her. Why was she thinking about kissing at a time like this? Especially kissing Ben of all people. Her current captor. Her enemy.

She flinched and let out a gasp as she could feel the heat from the cuffs singe her skin. Ben stepped away from her quickly at this reaction.

"Emeo Ren." He barked. "Get those cuffs off her." Ben ordered one of his Knights.

"Yes, Supreme Leader." One of the Knights muttered, hurrying over to Rey.

"She's not going to try anything. Are you?" Ben said to her. Rey lightly glared at him as her wrists were released from their confines.

"Anything you'd like to say to me?" Ben pried.

"Yeah." Rey said, rubbing at her injured wrist. "Take me back to my ship."

"I seem to recall that ship doesn't belong to you." Ben said sharply. "You seem to have a bad habit of taking things that don't belong to you."

Rey knew he meant Anakin's lightsaber. It still sat in two pieces on board the Falcon in the drawer with the sacred texts from Ahch-To.

"Old habits are hard to break, hmm, Scavenger?" He said icily. Rey glared at him as one of the other Knights came forward and grabbed her upper arm and began to lead her from the room.

"Ah ah." Ben said to the Knight, stopping them in their tracks.

"I can take it from here Iler Ren." Ben said to the Knight.

"Yes, Supreme Leader." The Knight let go of Rey's arm and stepped back. The two Knights Ben had addressed followed Ben and Rey from the throne room and back down the hallway.

Rey fumed slightly as Ben held onto one of her lower arms as she was led to his ship. His grip was firm but he wasn't cruel. She was grateful he wasn't rough on her burns, as she could feel the painful blisters left on her wrists underneath her linen wraps that she noticed had been singed from the cuffs.

Phasma was waiting at the ramp of Ben's command shuttle.

"The coordinates are primed in the system, Supreme Leader." She informed Ben. Ben quickly let go of Rey's arm.

"Take her on board." Ben instructed the Knights. One of them took her by her upper arm again and hurried her onto the ship, Rey glancing over her shoulder at Ben.

"Did you quite enjoy yourself?" Phasma asked Ben once the girl was out of earshot.

"I don't know what you mean." Ben said as he took his leather gloves out of a pocket on his jacket and stretched them over his hands.

"Mmmhmm." Was Phasma's response. Ben shot the captain a look before he turned and entered the shuttle.

Rey was sat in a seat in the back of the shuttle, flanked by one of the Knights. Ben entered the ship and walked past her without a word and up towards the cockpit.

"The engines are ready. Shall I initiate the hyper drive?" The pilot asked Ben.

"I'm in no rush." Ben replied. He eyed the flight path charted on the dash. "Especially with where we are headed."

"Understood." The pilot said. The shuttle turned and as it did so, Rey could see through the front windshield that the shining figure of Phasma watching the shuttle depart the hanger.

The Resistance had chosen which base they were going to occupy. She just didn't know where. Crossing the Inner Rim felt like hours. Rey was weary from all the events and nearly fell asleep, but she kept herself awake by rubbing her wrists. The pain took her mind off her tiredness and she hoped they'd arrive soon.

"Approaching destination." The pilot said to Ben. Rey leaned to the side, careful not to alarm the Knight next to her. She stared out the windshield, a gray and white planet looming on the horizon.

The shuttle entered the atmosphere and Rey squinted her eyes at the blinding white that covered the landscape. She could see mountain ranges in the distance. And, was that the nose of an AT-AT poking out of the white snow?

Rey's heart skipped a beat as she saw an open hanger in the distance, the shape of the Falcon at its entrance.

The shuttle touched down quite a ways from the base. There was a click as Ben unlatched himself from his restraint harness. With a wave of his hand, her own harness was released and he pulled her up from her seat from her upper arm this time. She winced at the action.

He directed her to the doors of the shuttle and as it opened she flinched at the wave of freeze that washed over her.

"Welcome to Hoth." Ben said coolly. Her teeth began to instantly chatter at the icy breeze that entered the cabin of the shuttle.

"Bacta bulb." Ben said to her. She turned her head and looked up at him.

"Wh...Wha.... What?" She stuttered.

"Bacta bulb. It'll heal your burns." He said down to her. Rey frowned and looked down at her wrists. She looked back up at him, studying his long face, but he made no effort to acknowledge her.

She slowly stepped out of the ship, sinking slightly into the white ground in front of her. She took a few heavy steps through the mass of cold snow in front of her.

There was the sound of flapping fabric and a pile of black landed next to the footprints she had left in the ground. Rey turned and looked at the fabric, then back up to Ben. It was a black cloak made of a thick material. Much like the one he had worn on Takodana.

"I... Don't.... Need that..." Rey chattered through her teeth to Ben, hugging her arms tight to her chest as she braced against the cold.

"I'm not asking you to take it. I'm telling you." Ben said. With that said, he reached over and shut the door of the shuttle as it began to lift off.

The cloak billowed in the wind, and it drifted towards her. Gritting her shivering teeth, she reached out a hand and whisked the cloak off the ground, wrapping it around herself as she made her way towards the base.


	4. Hoth

"Do you see her?" Poe asked Finn as they stood huddled in the opening of the Hoth base.

"The snow is blowing too hard." Finn said as he squinted out into the swirling mass of gray and white in front of him.

They had seen the command shuttle approach but didn't know where it had landed. Poe shifted a blaster in his hands uncomfortably, awaiting to be ambushed at any second by that monster. He looked behind him at Leia. She was standing very somber at some old control panels, her head hung down. She looked absolutely exhausted. His heart paned for her. She had been through so much pain and loss. Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't a trick and there really could be peace between the Resistance and the First Order. Leia's head slowly raised, turning towards the open hanger doors.

Suddenly, Finn rushed forward.

"I see her!" He cried to Poe. A hooded figure was stumbling it's way through the deep snow, a billow of black whipping behind her.

"Finn...." Rey whispered weakly as Finn grabbed her. He hugged an arm across her shoulders and sheltered her from the blistering wind with his other arm.

As soon as they entered the light of the hanger, the doors were shut behind them against the brewing storm. Rey numbly fell forward out of Finn's touch. Poe rushed forward to catch her.

"Rey, you're frozen nearly half to death!" Poe said, enveloping her in a instinctive tight embrace.

"Someone get us a thermal wrap!" he yelled.

"Oh thank goodness." Leia said, rushing up to them with a large shiny silver blanket in her hands. She wrapped it around Rey. Rey's hair was caked with snow and ice. It melted and dripped down the sides of her face and onto Poe's jacket.

Her lips were a pale shade of blue and her teeth still chattered.

"You're safe." Poe whispered to her, his arms rubbing her back underneath the thermal wrap.

"Are you okay?" Leia asked Rey. Rey slowly nodded against Poe's chest.

Finn stood back and watched helplessly.

"Is she going to be all right?" Rose asked Finn as she stepped up beside him. She held a bundle of gray and white clothes in her arms.

"I hope so." Finn said to Rose, tearing his eyes from Rey. Rose handed the clothes to Finn.

"These are for her." Rose said to him. Finn nodded as he took the clothes from her. She gave Finn a longing look before turning and going back towards the back of the base.

Rey was beginning to regain the feeling back into her hands, but her feet still were chilled from her snow filled boots. She realized she was still pressed up against Poe's warm chest and she quickly lifted her head, embarrassed.

"Better?" Poe asked, his dark brown eyes twinkling at her. She stiffly nodded her head. She draped the thermal blanket around her shoulders.

"Where'd you get that?" Poe asked her warily as Rey shifted the black cloak on her body.

"He gave it to me." She said as she slowly sat down on a nearby supply crate. She went to remove her shoes but Poe rushed forward to help.

"No, please." Rey said to him.

"You need to take it easy." He objected as he helped take her boots off, shaking the snow from them.

"So he just gave it to you?"

Rey nodded.

"Right after he dumped me out in the snow."

"He dumped you in the snow?" he angrily repeated.

"Not physically. It was a very unceremonious departure from the shuttle is all." Rey said.

"Uh huh..." Poe said skeptically. He covered her feet with the edge of the thermal wrap. He stood up.

"I'll see if I can find you new shoes." Poe said. Rey gave a small nod to him as he turned and went further into the base.

"Here." Finn said, stepping forward towards her. He handed a pile of clothes to Rey.

"Thank you." Rey said to Finn, her lips cracking from the cold as she tried to give him a small smile.

"I'm glad you're okay." Finn said to her. He turned and walked away, Rey looking after him sadly. She didn't have to ponder her inner thoughts as Leia came back up to her.

"Did he hurt you?" Leia asked Rey softly, her eyes drifting over the black cloak still draping over Rey's shoulders. Rey shook her head, water droplets falling from them.

"No. Well, not really." Rey said.

"Not really?" Leia asked, an eyebrow raising. Rey slid her arms out from under the thermal wrap.

"My wrists...." She said, holding them out for Leia to see. Leia's eyes furrowed at the sight of the blisters.

"He did this?" She asked sternly. Rey shook her head again.

"This was from the cuffs the Knights placed on me. They suppressed the Force in me."

Leia turned her head and motioned for one of the officers attention.

"Bring me a med pack." Leia ordered the officer.

"I need a Bacta bulb." Rey told Leia.

"Excuse me?" Leia asked, startled by Rey's response.

"A Bacta bulb. It's what Be.... It's what he told me to use on my burns." Rey said, wringing her hands.

"I see." Leia said, starting down at Rey's wrists and pursing her lips.

An officer came over with a metal box and handed it to Leia. She thanked them and opened up the box and took out a bottle of yellow liquid that oozed on the sides of its container. She approached Rey and held out the bottle to her.

"May I?" She politely asked. Rey nodded, her eyes nearly welling with tears at the motherly gesture.

Leia gently dabbed the liquid around Rey's wrists, holding gingerly onto her hand as she did so.

Rey's mind began to wander as Leia held onto her hand and treated her wounds. They shared the same eyes. It was becoming increasingly hard to look at Leia because all she saw was him. Ben. Leia's eyes were gentle and kind, sometimes playful. The only time Rey's heart skipped a beat was when she was angry. Because there he was.

Leia turned Rey's wrist to the side so she could wrap the wound with the gauze from the med pack. Her touch was soft and warm on her still cold hands. Rey thought of touching Ben's hand across the fire in the hut on Ahch-To. His fingertips were slightly callused and rough, but still felt soft to the touch.

She thought of his grip on her chin and how he firmly held it in place but not hard enough to hurt her. His breath on her neck. His lips close to hers. How she both feared and partially anticipated a kiss from her captor.

Leia suddenly dropped Rey's wrist and blinked rapidly .

Oh no. What if Leia had heard her? Had she heard her? She didn't say anything. Maybe she hadn't. Maybe she had been caught up in her own thoughts as she treated Rey's burns.

"Excuse me." Leia hurriedly apologized before reaching for Rey's other wrist.

Rey focused on the calming sensation the Bacta bulb had provided her wounds underneath the neatly wrapped linen. When Leia was finished, she stood up from Rey's side.

"I'm glad you're safe. Don't hesitate to ask me if you need anything," Leia said to Rey. Rey nodded.

"And I mean.... Anything." Leia said, almost a bit too pointedly. Rey merely blinked as the General left her side.

A girl with a mess of black hair that framed her face approached Rey. A metal cup in her hands. It was the girl from the nook. The one Finn had been tending to following their arrival on the Falcon.

"Hi." She said quietly to Rey. She held out the cup. "Here. This should help you." She told her.

"Thank you." Rey said to the girl, taking the cup from her outstretched hand. The cup was warm and steam slightly radiated from the top of the liquid inside.

"I'm Rose." The girl said.

"Rey." Rey said.

"I brought you these clothes." Rose said, indicating the pile that still lay next to Rey.

"Thank you." Rey said again.

"Finn says you're not used to the cold. That you're from Jakku?"

"I am." Rey said, nodding. She took a sip of the drink Rose had brought. It was thick and instantly warmed her as it trickled down her throat. It tasted like a variety of vegetables. It was delicious.

"What is Jakku like?" Rose pressed.

"Hot. Sandy. Brown." Rey said.

"Did you live there your whole life?" Rose asked. Rey hung her head. She hardly even knew how to answer that question anymore.

Ben's words echoed through her head about her nobody parents. Drunkards that had sold her for drinking money. Buried in a paupers grave somewhere on Jakku.

"As long as I remember." Rey slowly replied. Rose noticed the sad look that crossed Rey's face.

"Oh, I didn't mean to make you upset." Rose said, occupying the spot next to Rey on the supply crate that Leia had just vacated. "I just wanted to get to know Finn's best friend a little better."

"Best friend?" Rey repeated. Rose nodded her head.

"That's what he called you. You two are famous." Rose said. She looked to her right towards Finn who was standing back near the Falcon.

"We are?" Rey asked.

"Mmmhmm." Rose nodded. "You're heroes to the Resistance! Everyone knows what you two did on Starkiller base."

Rey took a sip of the soup again, to distract from her emotions as she recalled Han's death and the fight in the snow with Ben.

"The clothes will keep you warm. It will take some getting used to." Rose said to Rey. Rey nodded and handed the empty cup back to Rose. Rose smiled at her.

"Okay, I found some boots." Poe said, coming up to her with a pair of boots in his hand. "They might be a bit big, but they will do." He said, handing the boots to Rey.

She gave him a smile.

"Thank you Poe." Rey said. Poe gave her a dazzling smile and winked at her before retreating to Finn.

"I'll let you get changed." Rose said, standing up. She gave Rey another smile before leaving to join her friends.

xXx

It had been a little over a week since the Resistance had arrived on Hoth. No one had heard from the First Order, which no one knew whether to take this as a good sign or bad.

It was a chilly afternoon. The door of the hanger stayed open as Resistance members came in and out. The temporary scavenger bases had proved useful to the Resistance, having harbored needed supplies over the years following the Battle of Hoth.

Rey was working on the underside of the Falcon, making repairs following a scavenging trip to one of the many fallen AT-ATs. She wore a pair of thick gray snow pants and a white fur vest over a white sweatshirt. The boots she wore, the ones that Poe found, were a dirty white with a fur lining that matched that of her vest. Poe told her the fur was from something called a Wampa. Something she was told she didn't want to have a run in with.

Speaking of Poe...

"Whoa there Bessie!" Poe shouted as he came barreling into the hanger on the back of a Tauntaun.

The Tauntaun bleated as the reigns were pulled back against her mouth and Poe dismounted off the aged saddle upon her back.

"How goes the repairs?" Poe asked Rey, giving Bessie a pat. The Tauntaun shook her large head, butting her horns against Poe's shoulder for more attention.

"Stubborn. As usual." Rey said, letting out a frustrated breath as she emerged from under the ship.

"It's an old ship." Poe said, shrugging as he pet the Tauntaun.

It had been such a sight to see. The second morning on Hoth, they had found the herd grazing nearby the base. Leia showed the others where the old Tauntaun stables had been, back when the Rebel Alliance had taken up host on the icy planet. Several attempts later, the Resistance had managed to wrangle three Tauntauns for use on their scavenging runs. Much thanks to BB-8, Rey remembered. Who knew astromech droids could also herd?

Bessie bleated towards Rey and she obliged the giant creature with a rub on her nose.

"I'm going to have to wash my gloves now. Thanks for that." Rey teased the creature. They were as smelly as they were gentle.

Poe laughed. He tugged on Bessie's reigns and led her back towards the stables.

Rey turned back to the underside of the Falcon. Wires hung loose and a pile of scraps and parts lay at her feet. She brushed her hair out of her face, reaching up into the mechanical belly of the ship, tearing out pieces of rusted metal.

She took a seat on the cold ground of the hanger, grabbing a stiff wired brush and dipping it into a bowl of snow. She began to clean the rust from the metal. It was therapeutic almost. She would do this on the daily back on Jakku.

Footsteps approached and Rey ignored them. She continued brushing the metal pieces.

"Would you like some help with that?" Came a thick voice. Rey glanced up from her work. The first thing she saw were those boots. Tall, black, with straps at the tops.

It couldn't be.

She dropped the piece of metal she was working on.

The figure crouched down and he eyed her with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Rey?"


	5. Here Is Gone

*inspired by 'Here Is Gone' by The Goo Goo Dolls*

"Rey?"

The sound of his voice questioning her brought her back to her senses following the initial shock of his arrival.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Hello to you too." Ben said, annoyed.

"Does the Resistance know you're here?" She asked, scrambling to her feet and emerging from underneath the Falcon.

"Why does it matter?"

Rey looked around and saw a few Resistance members whispering to themselves as they stared at Ben from afar.

"You're the Supreme Leader of the First Order." Rey said.

"Consider this a follow up to our previous interaction." Ben said. Rey frowned.

"The Resistance was hoping that in choosing this base, the weather would be enough of a deterrent for visits from the likes of the First Order." She said, crossing her arms defensively.

"Don't know why they'd think that." Ben said, looking around the gray hanger. "We're used to the snow from the operations on Starkiller Base."

"Rey?" Came another voice, from her right this time. Finn had warily approached Rey and Ben.

"FN-2187." Ben said curtly, nodding his head to Finn.

"That's not his name." Rey corrected Ben. "His name is Finn."

Finn looked cautiously between the two. Did she just correct the Supreme Leader? To his face?

"Excuse me. Finn." Ben said, his eyes flicking to Finn briefly before returning to Rey. He stared her down. How dare she correct him, especially in front of that traitor.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked Rey.

"I'm fine." Rey answered, not breaking eye contact with Ben.

"Okay, well I'll be right over here...." Finn said as he backed up slowly, keeping a watchful eye on the Supreme Leader.

"Great. Thanks." Rey answered Finn. She focused on Ben's eyes. He was not letting her get a good reading on his true intentions for being here. She tore her eyes away and went back under the Falcon and back to her task at hand.

She picked up the piece that she had dropped earlier and wiped it down with an old rag.

"I didn't give that to you to use as an oil tarp." Ben said rudely, indicating his cloak that lay under the ship. Various ship parts piled on top of it.

"I got new clothes." Rey said.

"I can see that." He replied snarkily.

"Would you like it back?' Rey asked as she fumbled with reconnecting wires to the cleaned parts.

"Keep it."

Rey could feel her face warm slightly at his answer. He hovered too close to her as she fiddled with her repairs. She bit her lip and willed herself not to look at him as he watched her.

"You're doing it wrong."

"Excuse me?"

"You're doing it wrong." He repeated.

Ben stepped in front of her and she stepped back to allow him to access the belly of the ship.

He pulled down two more wires and attached them to the part Rey had been struggling with.

"Calcinator." He said, stretching a hand out to her.

Rey blinked before turning and picking up a part from the cloak. She handed it to him, careful not to touch his gloved hand.

He fastened the calcinator to another set of wires. Rey watched with amazement. She should have known better than to be surprised. It was his fathers ship after all. Of course he would know how to maintain the Falcon.

"Bonding tape."

Rey turned and reached down for the tape. Upon turning back towards him to hand him the roll, she realized he had taken a step back. She nearly collided with his tall form.

She blushed again and silently handed him the tape. Their gloved fingers brushed this time, and Rey quickly busied herself with rearranging her tools as a distraction from him.

Ben tucked the wires back into the frame and picked up the metallic panel that covered its contents. He turned to Rey and extended the bonding tape back to her.

She reached out for it and without warning, Ben's other hand came up and tightly grasped her lower arm. She lightly gasped at this action.

"Your wrists." He said simply.

Rey froze as his black gloved finger pulled back the rim of the sleeve of her sweatshirt, revealing the healed pink skin underneath.

"Your burns healed nicely." He said quietly as he examined her thin wrist.

Rey's heartbeat quickened as he held her hand close to his face. His thumb grazed the slightly raised portion of her skin where the burns had healed.

Suddenly his face contorted and he quickly dropped her hand. He turned his face to his shoulder and gave a large sneeze. Rey held back a giggle.

Ben shook his head slightly and flared his nostrils. He extended his hand with the tape again and she took it from his hands.

"Bless you." Rey said softly.

"Let me guess." He said, giving a sniffle. "My mother rounded up a few Tauntauns?"

Rey hesitated in her answer. He asked about Leia! Did Leia know he was here? Surely the word her son was at the Resistance base had made its way to her by now.

"A few." Rey asked, putting the bonding tape away in the tool box and lifting it off the cloak. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm allergic."

Rey snorted lightly. Ben frowned.

"I'm human. I have flaws." He said.

"Several." She muttered as she exited the underside of the Falcon.

"I'm sorry. It's just kind of funny." Rey said as she hefted the toolbox up the ramp of the Falcon. Against his better judgments, he followed her.

"Funny how?"

"Funny how you're allergic to gentle snow lizards. How do you know this anyways?" She asked as she stowed the toolbox in the supply closet on board the Falcon.

"My mother took me here once. Let me ride one. Came back to the ship and I was covered in hives." Ben itched at his neck at the memory.

Rey struggled to stifle her laughter.

"I'm sorry." Rey repeated. "It's rude of me to laugh."

Ben considered in the moment to chastise her, but decided against it. Besides, he liked the way her eyes sparkled at the humor she found in the situation. And then there was her laugh. And the way her right cheek folded into a slight dimple when she smiled. This bet was going to be an easy win.

He heard her say something to him, but he wasn't listening. He had been too caught up in his thoughts about her.

"Ben?" She said. "Is that all?" Rey repeated.

"What do you mean?"

"I doubt you came solely to help with repairs." She said, arms folding as she stood in the hub of the Falcon.

"I already told you. I came to follow up on our terms."

"Our terms." She repeated.

"Yes. Making sure the Resistance isn't planning anything."

"Oh yes, we are preparing for an all out Tauntaun assault." Rey said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Ben's eyes narrowed.

"You still don't believe me." Ben said.

Rey pursed her lips.

"I've got my defenses when it comes to your intentions for me."

Ben did not like this response.

"Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?" He nearly hissed, beginning to lose control on his temper.

"Trust has nothing to do with this. You killed Han. You tried to kill Luke. What makes you think I believe you're telling the truth?"

"I haven't tried to kill you." Ben stated sharply.

Rey pressed her lips together. He had her on that one. She wanted to ask why but decided against it.

"You and I have something." Ben said slowly. Rey immediately looked down and shuffled her feet, hoping he could not see the pink creeping across her face.

"This... Connection." He continued.

"I'm aware." She said sternly.

"I'm not the one who broke you. I'm not the one you should fear." He said, taking a step towards her.

Just like in the room on the Finalizer, Rey stood her ground - unmoving.

"When we battled the guards together.... I thought we had trust."

Rey bit her lip and avoided Ben's longing stare and his wishes for her to look up at him.

"Rey..." He said quietly. "Don't you trust me?"

She couldn't stand it any longer and she allowed her eyes to meet his.

He was the most powerful man in the galaxy and yet she couldn't help but begin to crack. She began to fidget with the fur on her vest. She had to be strong.

"I trust Ben." She said firmly. Ben's eyes darkened.

"I am Ben." He said. She shook her head.

"You're the Supreme Leader." She insisted. She took a step back from him.

"I thought I lost Ben somewhere. But he was never really there at all."

Her words hurt him but he tried to not let it show. He wasn't very successful. His hand instinctively reached for his lightsaber but he clenched his hand into a fist inside, letting it fall heavily to his side. He breathed heavily as he struggled to control his anger.

Rey stared him down, her fists clenched at her sides.

"You will see." Was all Ben said before he turned on his heel and stormed out of the Falcon.

As he stepped off of the ramp, his head snapped up to his right.

Leia was watching from the back of the hanger. She had her hands clasped together, her mouth in a tight line. Their eyes met for a second before he sharply turned towards the open entrance of the hanger and exited into the cold landscape.


	6. The Connection

Rey stepped out of the Falcon, holding her arms to her chest. She stared at Ben's retreating figure, frowning.

Finn rushed up to her.

"Are you okay?" He quickly asked.

'Why does everyone keep asking me that?' She thought.

"I'm fine." She told Finn. Poe and Rose came up to join Finn.

"What was he doing here?"

"What did he want?"

"What did he say?"

Her friends bombarded her with question after question.

"He said he was checking up on us." Rey said, shrugging her shoulders.

"That's it?" Finn asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Yes. To make sure we aren't planning anything," She continued.

"And did he believe you?" Poe asked.

"We're not planning anything.... Are we?" Rey asked Poe. Poe looked down and his eyes shifted.

"I have a few back up plans in mind..." He admitted. "Just in case we need them."

Rey frowned.

"Did he say if they're planning anything?" Rose asked.

"I doubt he would tell me if they were." Rey replied.

"Something fishy is going on with the First Order." Finn said sternly. "I just don't know what it is."

"Why would he come and just talk to you?" Rose wanted to know.

Rey hoped they couldn't see the pink rising in her cheeks.

"I... I don't know." Rey said, shuffling her feet against the ground.

"Rey." Came a calm but stern voice from behind the group. They turned to find Leia.

"General." Rey said, her hands dropping to her side.

"May I have a word?" She asked Rey. Her eyes went to the others standing around her. "In private?"

Oh no. Was she in trouble? It's not like she wanted to talk to Ben. Well.... It's not like she invited him over....

"Sure." Rey said. She brushed past her friends and followed Leia through the back of the base and down a cold and winding hallway.

They entered what Rey assumed to be Leia's room. There was a desk and chair along with a quaint dining table and a small bed. C3-PO was hovering in the corner.

"Hello General. Miss.... Uh.... Miss Rey." C3-PO said, struggling with his programmed formalities.

"Threepio, please get us some tea." Leia ordered the droid.

"Right away, General." He shuffled from the room.

"Excuse me." He said politely to Rey as she stepped aside to let him exit the quarters.

Leia went and sat down at the table, the skirt of her gray dress billowing around her feet. She motioned for Rey to take the seat across from her. Rey slowly took a seat. Leia folded her hands neatly in front of her, laying them on the table.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Rey blurted out to Leia. Leia pursed her lips as she calculated her response.

"General?" Rey asked again.

"You may call me Leia." Leia instructed. Rey blushed lightly.

"And no. I wouldn't say you've done anything wrong, per se."

Rey looked at her confused.

"Leia, I didn't invite him here." Rey said, indicating Ben's unannounced visit to the base.

"I'm aware. But you certainly attract him here."

Rey looked down at her hands and she knew her face was growing red.

"This can be potentially dangerous. For everyone. Not just yourself."

Rey hung her head slightly and nodded silently.

C3-PO entered the room, carrying a silver tray with two steaming tin cups of tea. He set the tray on the table. Leia smiled up at him.

"Thank you Threepio. Please let us be."

"Of course General." He said before shuffling backwards out of the room. Leia reached for her tea and took a long sip. Rey licked her lips and hesitantly reached for the other cup of tea. It was bitter going down. It was something she wasn't used to, but the aftertaste was sweet and it warmed her from the cold.

"I get the feeling there is something you aren't telling me." Leia said, setting her cup down gently on the tray.

"I told you everything that happened. Snoke's ship. The Finalizer."

"That's not what I mean." Leia said, her tone being more stern than calm.

"Why is my son so drawn to you?" She asked quietly, leaning on the table and staring intently at Rey. Rey looked down.

"What aren't you telling me child?" Leia asked.

Rey's eyes snapped up at the word.

"Well.... We did talk a few times.... Before he killed Snoke." Rey said, fidgetting with the cup in her hands.

Leia leaned back, her eyes focused on Rey.

'His eyes again'. Rey quickly averted her gaze.

"I don't know how to explain it... But I can see him and his surroundings... But he can only see me."

"See you... how? The Force?" Leia hissed the last part in a shocked whisper.

"Yes." Rey said, nodding.

"Did Luke know this?" She pressed, taking a sip of her drink.

"Yes. He caught us."

Leia almost spat our her tea.

'Kriff. That came out wrong.' Rey thought to herself as Leia reached for a napkin.

"What do you mean." Leia said, regaining her composure.

"We were talking in one of the huts on Ahch-To over a fire. I had fallen in the water while meditating and I was trying to dry off. And then we touched-"

One of Leia's hands flew to her chest and the other motioned Rey to cease talking.

"Maker, you're going to give me heart attack." Leia said. "This is all too much for an old broad such as myself."

"I'm sorry." Rey apologized quickly. Leia took a drink with a shaky hand. After a moment, she asked for Rey to continue.

"I could touch his hand. Through the connection. And in Snoke's throne room he told us he was the one that had bridged our minds."

"Snoke!" Leia hissed. Rey nodded.

"And have you connected to him since Snoke's passing?" Leia asked, intrigued.

"No. Well... Not exactly." Rey said. Leia's eyes bored into her.

"As we left Crait. That was the last time I saw him. Through the connection I mean." Rey said.

Leia sat back in her chair and pursed her lips again. She drummed her fingers on the table. Rey's tea had quickly gone cold.

"This.... Connection you two share." She said, slowly piecing together her thoughts. "Can you willingly activate it?"

"Not that I'm aware."

Leia sighed with relief.

"And do you trust.... This... This truce?" Leia said, indicating the surrender.

"I don't know." Rey admitted sadly. "He says he hasn't given me any reason to not trust him."

"He said that?" Leia asked, shocked. Rey nodded.

"And do you trust him?" She asked.

Rey sighed. She was beginning to see where he got his stubbornness from.

"I trust Ben. But I don't trust the Supreme Leader." She truthfully answered.

"He certainly likes to complicate things." Leia said, finishing her tea.

Rey snorted.

'You have no idea.' She thought.

"I thank you for being open with me." Leia said, standing up from her seat. Rey stood up as well.

"You're welcome Leia."

"I do have a small request to ask of you." Leia said, taking a small step towards Rey.

"Anything." Rey replied.

"Do not let my eyes bother you." Leia said kindly.

Rey went pale.

So Leia HAD heard her when she was wrapping her burns. Which meant... Rey's face flushed pink.

"I understand he is a handsome young man." Leia said without being prompted. "But I urge you to take heed of my precautions. Not as his mother, but as the leader of the Resistance."

Rey bit her lip in embarrassment and quickly nodded her head. Leia gave her a small smile and opened the door for her. Rey couldn't have left in anymore of a hurry.

All throughout dinner Poe, Finn, and Rose hassled her about Ben's visit.

"He probably rigged it." Poe said of Ben's repair to the Falcon. "It's probably going to blow up. You know how much he hates that ship."

"Everyone hates that ship." Finn said.

"Hey!" Rey said defensively.

"Except you Rey." Finn said, nudging her slightly. "You weirdo."

"She saved us. You should be more grateful." Rey said, nudging him back.

"Yeah, yeah." Finn said, shoveling food into his mouth.

"Do you think he'll stop by again?" Rose asked Rey. Rey shrugged.

"Who knows." Rey answered. Deep down she hoped she would see him again, but another part of her hoped he would never step foot on Hoth again.

"I don't get why he had to come by anyways. A holo transmission would have sufficed." Poe said annoyed, picking at his dinner.

"I told you guys. Something isn't right about all this." Finn repeated.

"You're being paranoid Finn." Rose said, rubbing Finn's arm affectionately. Finn blushed.

"Besides." Rose said proudly. "We've got the heroes of the Resistance. We can take on anything."

"That's right." Poe said, raising his metal cup. "To the Resistance."

"To the Resistance!" They cheered as they toasted.

At the Falcon, Rey was getting ready for bed. That had become a chilling task. Even with the doors of the hanger shut tight, the ship was like a cooler. Chewie seemed to be fine though. His fur helped. He would come and go from the Falcon as he pleased. If he felt like it, he would sleep in the nook but mostly he took to the cockpit. Rey assumed he felt more comfortable there. She knew it reminded him of Han.

Rey shrugged off her white vest and removed her sweatshirt. She shivered from the cold. In order to protect herself more from the cold, she had shifted from wearing a simple linen chest wrap to something Rose had called a 'bra'. It wasn't as comfortable as her linens, but it did the job just fine.

Her snow pants were too big in the waist so she had rolled the top of the pant down and had used her old arm wraps as a makeshift belt. She was fussing with the knot of the belt when she felt the strange pressure of the Force push upon her.

'Not today. Not now'. She thought to herself.

"Ahem." came his thick voice from behind her.


	7. Whatever It Takes

*briefly inspired by 'Whatever It Takes' by Imagine Dragons*

Ben landed his TIE in the center of the hanger of the Finalizer. He emerged from the ship in a huff.

"Dock my ship properly." He gruffly instructed a nearby trooper.

"Yes Supreme Leader." The trooper replied, nodding to him.

Captain Phasma was awaiting his return near the doors to the elevator.

"Enjoy your date?" She said cheekily as he approached her.

"What? No." Ben said as he entered the elevator, Phasma close behind.

"It wasn't a date." He said as the elevator began to move.

"You say that. But I don't believe it." Phasma retorted.

"It WASN'T a DATE." Ben said firmly, his hands clenching into fists.

"You're right. My mistake Supreme Leader." Phasma said.

It was quiet for a few minutes as the elevator traveled on.

"If it was a date, you would have been dressed appropriately and had brought flowers." Phasma said as the doors to the elevator opened.

"Please shut up." He said as he quickly exited.

"Don't act like I don't know what you and Hux are up to." Phasma continued as she followed him down the hall.

"I'm not an idiot." She continued. Ben stopped in his tracks and turned towards Phasma.

"I don't know what you mean." He lied haughtily.

Phasma reached up and removed her helmet, shaking out her blonde curls out of her eyes.

"No Leader in their right mind would give up so easily on fighting the Resistance." Phasma told him, trying to read his face.

"You men are acting like immature boys." She scolded.

Ben frowned. He ought to be the one scolding her. How dare she speak to him like this? As he tried to come up with a punishment, the fact that Phasma was probably one of his closest confidants he had on the Finalizer crossed through his mind. He started walking again and Phasma continued to follow and berate him.

"And that poor girl." Phasma said, shaking her head. "Nothing but a toy for your silly game."

"She's not a toy." He said harshly.

"Then what is she?"

"She has the Force." Ben told Phasma, stopping again in the hallway. "Snoke bridged our minds. We have this sort of connection. I can see her and she can see me, but neither of us is in control of this phenomenon."

"And do you have affections for this girl?" Phasma pressed.

"I don't have time for this." Ben said, walking away from the captain.

"Is that why you killed Snoke?" Phasma called after him. Ben stopped in his tracks. He turned around sharply.

"What did you just say?" Ben hissed.

"Come now." Phasma said, holding her helmet in the crook of her underarm. "The girl is the size of two Ewoks. You can't expect us to keep on believing she took on Snoke and his men single handedly."

"If Hux finds out--" Ben began.

"Please." Phasma said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not afraid of that fool. I assure you I won't tell him. I know when and where to keep my mouth shut."

"Then why do you keep pressing this matter with Rey?"

"Because I don't think you realize what you're getting yourself into." Phasma said coolly, her eyes glinting with mischief. Ben glared at Phasma. She smirked at him.

"I'll go along with your charade. But this isn't going to end well for either of you if you're not careful." She warned. She placed her helmet back on her head, gave him a nod, and headed back towards the hanger.

Ben finished storming to the command bridge. He slammed the doors open with the Force.

"Ah! Supreme Leader." Hux said, his eyes glinting at the sight of Ben. "Welcome back."

Ben ignored Hux.

"So, how goes things on Hoth?" Hux pried.

"She still doesn't believe me if that's what you're getting at." Ben replied. Hux giddily smiled.

"This bet will be mine soon enough." Hux said, turning from Ben and staring out at the vast galaxy in front of the massive front windshield of the cruiser.

"I still have nearly five weeks left. There is still plenty of time for me to win." Ben shot back.

"We'll see." Hux said. "In the meantime, I've got Phasma bulking up the troops in preparation for battle."

Ben frowned to himself.

If Hux was already planning an attack, could that mean the Resistance was also preparing themselves despite their wavering belief of the surrender? Surely it wouldn't be the Tauntaun assault Rey had mentioned. She was just being rude. But what if she said that to throw him off of what they were really up to? What if they were trying to outwit each other at the same time?

'Oh Rey. The twisted games we play.' He thought to himself.

Hux was blabbering but Ben wasn't hearing any of it. He realized Hux had asked him a question.

"Fine. Whatever." Ben replied. Hux smiled evilly in response.

Hux started talking to Officer Thanisson. Ben exited the command bridge and headed to his room.

He sat in his room silent as he ate the dinner delivered by the maintenance droid.

He had really screwed up on his father's ship when she had argued with him about only trusting Ben. How could she not believe that he WAS Ben? She only saw him as the Supreme Leader now. He feared they would never have the connection they had back on Snoke's ship, let alone the one they had back on the island. He wasn't going to get her to believe him if he kept acting like a Moof milker.

Snoke was gone. There was no one to break him down anymore. He broke the chain Snoke had on him. He was in charge now. He needn't hide behind the persona of Kylo Ren.

The Knights of Ren were still on board the Finalizer, awaiting his command at a moments notice. But with the ruse of the surrender hanging over his head, they really were no use to him right now.

He would do whatever it takes. Whatever he needed to do to get Rey to believe him. He had to win this bet. Not only to shove it in Hux's face but for the sake of his reputation and mostly for the sake of his true intentions - for Rey to be his.

The way she looked at him as she shut the doors of his father's ship as the Resistance escaped. The lack of compassion in her eyes. The lack of hatred. The blank stare that haunted him. He hated it but he longed for her to look at him again like she had in Snoke's throne room. That look of awe. The loyalty between them. He had been her redeemer and he felt how she longed to be one to him as well.

Even just on Hoth, she avoided his gaze half the time and sneered at him the rest of it. He wasn't sure if he could will himself to the depths he would have to go to in order to earn her trust back. Maybe Phasma was right. He didn't know what he was getting himself into. Just as the First Order was luring the Resistance into a trap, he was being drawn into a trap himself.

Even if he did succeed in earning her belief in the surrender, Hux was still going to launch an assault on the Resistance under their noses. And Rey would NOT be happy that she was tricked.

Kriff, he really got himself with this one.

Then there was his mother. The look of yearning, curiosity and sadness that filled her eyes when he met her gaze as he exited the Falcon after getting frustrated with Rey.

He knew deep down he struggled with causing his mother harm. Like how he couldn't pull the trigger at her during the battle with the Dreadnaught. He had even struggled with killing Han. His hands balled into a fist recalling the lies Snoke filled him with. The pain he had been inflicted with upon disappointing Snoke.

Ben pushed his plate away from himself, suddenly feeling full and uneasy. He snapped his fingers at the maintenance droid to remove his dinner tray before heading to take a shower before bed.

He emerged from the refresher, toweling at his hair before tossing the damp fabric over his shoulder and onto the floor. He went to the closet and gathered his night clothes. The shower hadn't help him feel any better about himself and the trouble he was now into. He could tell it was going to be a restless night. He frowned, perturbed at the prospect at another night with lack of sleep. He hardly slept well anymore. Especially since his horrid Uncle had tried to murder him as he slept.

He shut the closet doors and his stomach lurched. There was an intense pressure upon him, almost weighing him down as he stood.

He knew they had connected. His heart began to race as he knew he was about to face her again. He couldn't mess it up this time. He just couldn't.

He looked over his shoulder and his heart raced faster. He could feel his face begin to heat.

Rey was in a white bra and her snow pants, hair falling loosely from her buns. She was tugging at some linen wrapped around the top of her pants. He noticed how ill fitting the pants were.

"Ahem." He said, letting his presence known. But he knew she already knew. He bit his tongue, dying to make a quip if she had his cloak nearby to cover with.

"Hello your highness." She sighed.

"You know you don't need to call me that." He said, replying to her from over his shoulder. He hesitated in turning around. Maybe she hadn't noticed he had seen her halfway in her undergarments.

"I'm sorry." Sarcasm lacing in her tone. "Supreme Leader." She said.

"Ben." He corrected.

"Whatever." Rey replied.

"I didn't mean to intrude." He found himself saying.

"We're even now." Rey said as she tugged a thermal top on over her chest, furthering the falling out of her looped hair.

"I beg your pardon?" Ben asked.

"The... Clothes thing." Rey said.

"Ah." Ben said. He coughed lightly as he finally turned around. Somehow, her calling his seeing her nearly topless compared to her seeing his bare chest as 'even' didn't make Ben feel less embarrassed.

"Do you need something?" She asked as she walked over to something on her side of the communication. A brush was raised and she began to brush out her hair.

"Not necessarily." Ben said. "You know I can't control this."

"Nor I." Rey said. She stared at him and he at her.

"What?" He asked, as he could spy the hint of a smirk on her lips.

"I've never seen you wear something other than black before." She said, the smile tugging gently at the corner of her mouth as she spoke.

Ben looked down at his night clothes.

"I wouldn't say gray exactly counts as a color." He said.

"I like gray." Rey replied.

He noticed the shift in her face after she spoke her feelings. Her eyes panicked at her words and she blushed.

"I mean, I have gray clothes of my own..." She said, stumbling over her words.

"I see..." Ben said, studying her face as she glanced down out of embarrassment. Her long lashes fluttering as she avoided his gaze.

"As thrilling as this conversation is, I've got plans." Ben said as he turned towards his bed.

"Oh really?" She asked.

"Oh yes. Big plans." He replied.

"Care to divulge your 'big plans'?"

"It's called sleep. What little of it I hope to achieve."

"Oh." Rey said, slightly disappointed. "Well it seems we have a shared agenda." She said.

"Then I suppose we might speak again in the morning." Ben said, hoping he didn't sound too hopeful.

Rey fiddled with the ends of her hair.

"I suppose." She said. She turned away from him, glancing ever so slightly over her shoulder at him.

"Goodnight... Ben." She said.

"Goodnight... Rey." He replied.


	8. ...Ready For It?

*inspired by '...Ready For It?' by Taylor Swift*

Rey awoke with a start. She was strapped to a metal chair. The one from Starkiller Base. She tugged at the restraints, testing their strength. She stared at the man in the mask in front of her. Kylo Ren.

"Where am I?" She asked him.

"You are my guest." He replied from his crouched position in front of the chair. His head titled lazily to the side.

"You still want to kill me." He mused quietly, the mask distorting his voice.

"That's what happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask." Rey replied.

Kylo stood up and reached his hands to the sides of his mask. There was a hiss and a click as the mask was removed. He lightly shook his dark hair as it was freed from its confinements.

Her eyes studied his face, shocked by she saw. He was a handsome man, but still - he was a killer. She knew she ought to fear him but she did not. She found herself more nervous about her lack of fear than she was about his approaching figure.

"You know I can take whatever I want." Kylo purred to her. He raised a hand and the restraints were lifted from her legs and wrists.

Rey looked around in confusion. What was he doing?

"I'm not giving you anything." She purred back.

"We'll see." He said. And then without warning he was pinning her arms back to the chair with his hands, forcing his mouth upon hers.

He was hungry for her and she could feel it. Not only from his hold on her, but from the Force as well.

She found herself leaning upwards off of the chair and into his hovering figure. She fiercely kissed back, the feel of his hair tickling her cheek.

He leaned a knee in-between her legs. Mostly to steady himself, but Rey still felt the growing heat from her womanhood as his knee inched it's way upwards.

She bit his bottom lip gently, then a bit harder, wanting all the access she could handle. Her tongue was granted access and she could almost taste the darkness in him. He let one of her hands free and she immediately tangled it in the hair at the nape of his neck. He caressed her face with his free hand. She found herself beginning to slightly grind against his knee.

"You are mine now." He purred into her ear as she lightly panted.

"I am yours." She whispered back.

xXx

Rey quickly sat up in bed. Despite the coldness of the room, she was boiling hot. She quickly wriggled out from underneath the thick gray comforter trying to cool off.

What the Kriff did she just dream???

She looked around, almost expecting herself to be back on Starkiller Base. But she was still in the small makeshift bedroom of the Falcon. She sighed heavily, her breath letting out a slight fog in the icy room.

She raised a hand to her head and could feel pieces of hair stuck to her damp forehead. Her hair clung to the back of her neck as well. She felt damp in other places too, which caused her to blush.

'It was only a dream. It was only a dream.' She thought to herself as she wiped the sweat from her neck and brow.

She rolled back over under the covers. She never had a dream quite like that before. And about him, of all people. She rolled over to the other side, trying to get comfortable.

The way she didn't fight him off in her dream nagged at her as she tossed and turned. She had welcomed his brazen advances and she briefly felt ashamed how she had reacted.

Frustrated, she tossed the covers off her and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She quickly slid her feet into a pair of furry slippers and shuffled to the refresher.

She was in and out quickly. The hot water didn't stay on long enough with the harsh temperature of the hanger. How the others weren't as affected by the cold bothered her. But then again, they hadn't been subject to years of the dry heat in the deserts of Jakku.

She toweled her hair dry and pulled the top half into a bun, letting the rest fall down, grazing the shoulders of the thick gray sweater she had chosen to wear today. It had a couple of holes in it, so she kept her thermal top on underneath. She shifted into the fur vest and her too large snow pants, changed into a pair of thick socks and the old yellowed boots.

She exited the Falcon, noting the deep snores of Chewie from the cockpit. She was careful not to wake him. No one else was really awake in the hanger. A Resistance officer was asleep in his chair at the ComLink panel. Rey wandered down the winding white hall of the base and back towards the mess hall.

A woman's voice echoed lightly down the hall and Rey continued down, walking past the mess hall. She ended up in the stables, her nose tickling at the smell of the Tauntauns.

"There's a good girl." Leia was saying to one of the creatures, petting their wide nose.

Leia had her hair down. It was very long and held much more gray than her styled hair showed. Rey approached her.

"Good morning Rey." Leia said, turning her head to smile at her.

"Good morning." Rey said.

"You're up early." Leia noted.

"I didn't sleep well." Rey said.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with our conversation yesterday, now would it?" Leia asked her, reaching down for some grains and feeding the Tauntaun.

"Not exactly." Rey said.

"Oh?"

"I spoke to him last night." She admitted. Leia didn't seem surprised.

"And what did he say?"

"Nothing really. It was quite a brief connection. He was readying for bed."

"I see." Leia said, turning to the smaller of the three Tauntauns, who was trying to push his way to the front of the paddock for food.

"I've been wondering..." Rey said as the largest Tauntaun turned its attention to her, hoping she also had grains to offer. "Did you pick Hoth on purpose?"

"Of course I picked it on purpose, my dear." Leia said with a chuckle as she tended to the youngest Tauntaun. "I have history with this base. It was our first base following the destruction of the first Death Star."

"I meant...." Rey trailed off for a moment. "I meant, did you pick it because Ben is allergic to them?" She nodded to the creatures.

Leia laughed loudly.

"Did he put that in your head?" She asked.

"No." Rey said quickly. "He mentioned he was allergic to them."

"He doesn't tell that to many people." Leia said next, her tone a bit more serious this time. "He's a bit embarrassed by it. Han would tease him about it when he was younger."

Rey pet one of the Tauntauns but the creature lost interest since Rey didn't have any food.

"I wish I had thought of that though." Leia admitted. "It makes sense now that you mention it..." Leia said, trailing off.

She quickly shook her head and brushed her gloves together, dust from the grains trickling to the floor.

"Come join me for breakfast." Leia said to Rey. Rey obliged and followed her from the stables.

C3-PO brought Rey a cup of caf this time and Leia had her usual cup of tea as they sat at the table from the day before.

"Something Finn has mentioned has me wondering..." Leia said as Rey was shoveling flatcakes into her mouth.

Rey hurriedly swallowed before answering.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"About how something isn't right... With the surrender." Leia said, taking a sip of her tea. Rey set down her fork.

"I just can't place my finger on it." Leia mused. "My sense of the Force isn't strong enough."

"Did Poe tell you his ideas then?" Rey wondered. Leia's eyes slightly narrowed.

"It's best we don't talk about that." She said. Rey shrunk back in her chair.

"However...." Leia said, setting her cup down on the table. "If you'd be willing to assist the Resistance in other ways, I think I have something in mind."

"Of course." Rey said, sitting up straight again.

"While we continue to gather supplies, I could use your assistance with the Force."

"The Force?"

"Yes. Since Ben is so keen on speaking with you, perhaps you can use your abilities to try to figure out the truth."

Rey frowned slightly.

"But I'm new to the Force. I don't know if I can. If he'll let me..."

"You are stronger than you know." Leia said, reaching out a hand and lightly touching her arm. "I believe in you. Luke. He believed in you."

Rey hung her head and bit her lip.

"I thought you told me to be careful. That his connection to me is dangerous."

"Yes I did." Leia answered simply.

Rey thought about it for a moment, pushing around the flatcakes on her plate with her fork.

So Leia wanted her to go to Ben? Just like how he came to her? To divulge herself in this silly game of Loth Cat and Mouse Droid?

He obviously wanted something from her. Now was it her turn?

"Well then." Rey said to Leia. "Let the games begin."


	9. With You

*briefly inspired by 'With You' by Linkin Park*

The pieces of the flaming red curtains fell delicately from the wall, swirling around him as he held his hand out towards Rey. The Praetorian guards and Snoke's sliced figure littered the floor.

"Please...." He whispered to her as they stood on opposite sides of the burning room . She turned back and looked at the monitor, watching as another of the escape transports was shot down.

"Rey.... Please..." He said again.

'Don't make me beg.' He thought.

Rey looked back at him. He took a step forward, his hand still outstretched.

"It will be just you and I. Together." He continued.

She took a step towards him.

"Together?" She whispered.

He felt a tug at his heart.

"Yes! Together!" He said breathlessly.

She came closer to him. An explosion echoed through the room as another transport was taken out.

"Is that all you want?" She asked him.

"I... I don't understand." He said, lowering his hand slightly.

"To rule the galaxy. To start a new order. Is that all you want?" She repeated.

She was in front of him now. She looked down at his hovering hand. She took it in her hands and pulled herself closer to him with it. He held back a gasp as she pressed herself up against him.

"Because I think you want more." She purred. She let her hands travel up his chest and she forcefully pushed him backwards.

He unceremoniously fell backwards, his foot tripping over one of the weapons that lay forgotten on the floor. He landed hard on his back, grunting from the pain. He pushed his arms out behind him, readying to scramble to his feet but Rey pushed him back down with one of her boots.

She swung the leg she had pushed him with onto his side, straddling him between her legs. He pushed himself up with his arms once again. Rey grabbed the front of his jacket and lowered herself into his lap as she pulled his mouth towards hers.

What the hell was happening? She was so dominating. This wasn't like her at all. He didn't have time to contemplate what was transpiring. By now, his hands were weaving themselves into her thick brown hair. His lips had a mind of their own as they pushed back against her wanting advances.

She pulled away from his mouth and trailed tiny nibbles down his long jaw line and neck. She sunk her teeth into his shoulder gently and he gasped at the sensation.

His hands gripped at her thighs and they slowly made their way to her rear end. Gods, she had a nice ass.

He could feel his manhood beginning to throb underneath her. Without saying a word, Rey's hands traveled to the belt on his jacket and she unclipped it with ease. Her hands reached for the top of his pants and he leaned his head back in ecstasy as he knew what was coming next.

He turned his head to the side as Rey was reaching for his erection. His eyes widened at the sight he saw. Below the throne, the upper half of Snoke's body was nonchalantly perched upwards on his elbow. One hand resting his scarred face on his giant hand. The other hand raised and gave Ben a thumbs up of approval.

xXx

Ben nearly screamed as he sat up in bed, a sweat of panic rushing over him.

What. The. Kriff.

He leaned back down and groaned, attempting to roll over but his arousal refused it. He gritted his teeth at the pain and reached under the covers to adjust himself with a very annoyed grumble.

He hadn't had a dream that vivid in a long time. He wished he could say it was the first time he dreamt of Rey, but that wasn't true. He had dreamt of her twice before in the short time they had known each other.

Well, known was a loose term. Since they met was more like it. First, the night after the destruction of Starkiller base. Second, just after he had dropped her off on Hoth.

He threw the heavy comforter of his bed off himself and stormed uncomfortably to the refresher to cool off. Even take care of some business if he had to.

By the time he was out of the refresher and dressed, the maintenance droid had his daily breakfast ready and delivered to his room. But he wasn't hungry. The food sat there on the silver tray, becoming cold and stale.

He sat on the edge of his bed, his elbows sitting upon his knees. The weight of his hunched figure dug into his legs as his fingers laced through his hair, holding his head in concentration.

He was the Supreme Leader. The Commander of the First Order. Yielding unlimited power. All looked to him for guidance in their pursuit of taking out the Resistance.

He was Kylo Ren. Master of the Knights of Ren. Trained by Snoke in the light and the dark sides of the Force. Freed from Snokes physical torture, but still tortured on the inside.

He was Ben Solo. The man who killed his own father. The son of the Resistance General. In love with his equal in the Force.

No! He said to himself, gripping at his hair. Not LOVE. He felt sick at the thought.

If it wasn't love, what was it? This feeling that now nagged him nearly constantly. The guilt of his mistakes? The taste of hypocrisy? He couldn't stop thinking about her. About this bet. About what he had to do. About what would happen if he failed. What would happen if she found out?

He could feel her presence through the Force. Whether he wanted to or not, she was there. So close but yet so distant. The sound her voice, the memories of her face painted in his memories. Even though she wasn't with him, he was with her.

A knock on the door startled him. A trooper officer entered the room.

"Supreme Leader." The officer said, slightly nodding to him.

"Your presence is requested by General Hux on the command bridge." The officer reported.

Ben stood up slowly. He lightly brushed a hand over his hair, trying to smooth where he had mussed it up. He walked past the officer without a word, heading straight to the command bridge. The officer followed behind, knowing well to keep his distance.

General Hux stood in his typical stance of hands clasped behind his back, head held high with authority.

Thanisson was with him, standing off to the side. Thanisson nodded to Ben, who nodded back briefly.

"Ah! There you are. Slept well?" Hux asked of Ben.

"Why does it matter to you?" Ben snapped.

"We have a late night tonight." Hux said matter of factly.

"Mmm." Ben said, vaguely paying attention as he stared out over the vast galaxy ahead of them.

They were hovering over a desert planet. Just the thought of sand made his stomach flip flop. Or maybe it was the fact he skipped breakfast this morning.

"When we're invading Hoth, the ships need to be prepared against freezing."

"IF we're invading Hoth." Ben corrected.

Hux's shoulder heaved up as he obnoxiously snorted.

"You act as if you've already won."

"You'll see." Ben said smugly.

Officer Unamo entered the bridge and handed Hux a black box.

"For tonight, sir." She said to him. "Just as you requested."

"Dismissed." He said rudely to Unamo. She nodded briefly and headed back to her post at the main ComLink station.

Ben eyed the box warily.

"The parts we need for the transports will arrive by this afternoon. I'll have them installed after we return."

"Return?" Ben asked, trying not to sound confused. What kind of commands has Hux been ordering behind his back?

"Supreme Leader, don't feign ignorance." Hux nearly chastised. "The gala on Cantonica. You agreed to it just yesterday."

"I did no such thing." Ben snapped.

"As I recall, your exact words were 'Fine. Whatever.'." Hux said, waggling his fingers in a sarcastic manner in Ben's direction as he mocked him.

Ben grit his teeth and swore under his breath. He hated galas. Ever since he was little, he was dragged to every grand political gathering his mother had attended. And the less Han was around, the harder it was to use traveling with his father as an excuse to not go.

"I hope you're not wearing that." Hux sneered.

"What's wrong with this?" Ben demanded.

"It's not exactly gala material." Hux said. "Especially your boots."

"But I like these boots. They're my favorite-" Ben stopped. Why was he letting Hux get to him? He was the SUPREME LEADER and should not be spoken to in such a manner!

"I will wear whatever I see fit!" Ben barked at Hux. Hux smirked. Thanisson stifled a laugh and Ben shot him a look.

"Who knows what sort of scraps that scavenger has to wear." Hux muttered.

Ben went pale.

"What.... Did you say?" Ben hissed, taking an angry step towards Hux.

"The criminal. The girl. She dresses absolutely pitiful."

"She is NOT coming." Ben demanded.

"Oh yes she is." Hux replied, grinning at Ben's agitation. "You should really pay more attention to when people are speaking to you."

He turned back to the window.

"Shall I have your ship prepared to fetch the wench?" Hux asked, not looking at Ben.

Ben clenched and unclenched his fists, contemplating choking Hux. Even shoving his frail figure into the glass window before them.

Instead of retaliating, Ben sharply turned and stormed off the bridge.

"The gala starts at 21:00!" Hux called after Ben.


	10. A Captain's Touch

Ben angrily barked at two random officers for them to ready his shuttle. They scurried off as Ben paced in the hanger.

Damn Hux and his gala. He hated Cantonica. He hated sand. He hated parties. He hated Hux.

What was even worse, Hux intended Ben to bring HER to the gala. What exactly was he to gain from this? To humiliate him? To sabotage him?

That was it. He was trying to get Ben to lose the bet. Well, he would show him. That weasel faced fool would regret ever making this bet with Ben. He did not take losing well. Losing both the bet and Rey was out of the question. The words Hux threw in his face about Rey echoed in his mind. He clenched his fists again in frustration. He stomped over to his shuttle.

"How much longer until my ship is ready?" Ben snapped at one of the troopers assessing the shuttle.

"Not much longer now, Supreme Leader. We need to de-ice the wings if we're entering Hoth's atmosphere."

"I will return shortly. The shuttle better be ready by the time I'm back." Ben ordered, pointing an angry finger at the trooper who nodded vigorously.

"Yes Supreme Leader." The trooper replied.

Ben huffed out of the hanger and up to the central floor of the Finalizer. He entered the main control hub. Two troopers saluted to him as he entered, pausing in their work at large computer panels.

"OUT." Ben ordered sharply. Without a word, the troopers exited the room.

"Ah. Supreme Leader. Pleasantly surprised to see you." came the barely distorted voice of Phasma as she sat in front of the main control unit. She did not turn to acknowledge Ben as she spoke.

"Phasma." Ben said steadily as he walked up the steps to the chair where Phasma sat unmoving.

"Supreme Leader." Phasma repeated.

"I require some.... Assistance." Ben said.

"Oh?" Phasma replied, tapping away at the keyboard in front of her. Ben wondered for a brief moment how well she could see what she was working on with her large helmet still in place.

"Would this happen to involve your shenanigans with General Hux?"

Ben frowned.

"I wouldn't say-"

Phasma cut him off.

"I told you before, Supreme Leader -" She said his title seethingly. "That I would go along with your childish game. But never did I say I would assist you."

"This is a different matter entirely."

"Oh?" Phasma said, finally swiveling in her chair to face him.

"So this doesn't involve the girl?"

Ben pressed his lips together, eyebrows lightly furrowing.

"I thought so." Phasma said, turning back to the monitor.

"Hux expects her to come to the gala on Cantonica."

Phasma gave a hearty laugh that echoed loudly from under the helmet.

"Whatever he's up to, I don't think you're going to like it." Phasma replied.

"That's why I need your help." Ben said.

"I'm busy." Phasma drawled.

Ben scoffed.

"With what orders?"

Phasma sighed and removed her helmet. She set it down in her lap. She turned the chair towards him again.

"What exactly do you need?" Phasma pressed.

Ben pressed his lips into a line again, his eyes shifted slightly at the awkwardness of the situation.

"She's not... Hux said..."

"Yes?"

Ben sighed.

"Hux has deemed her attire atrocious. Certainly not up to Cantonica standards." Ben said as professionally as possible.

Phasma gave a tut.

"What's wrong with her looks?" She asked, cocking her head curiously to the side.

"Nothing!" Ben quickly defended. Phasma's face broke into a wide grin, her ice blue eyes glinting happily.

Ben lightly growled at her reaction.

"Get one of your female Knights to do it." Phasma said, waving her hand in the air at him.

"I can't do that." Ben argued.

"Is it because you banged one of them?"

Ben's mouth snapped shut at her retort. His jaw tightened.

"It was the brunette one, wasn't it?"

"That has nothing to do with this." Ben snapped.

"You certainly have a type." Phasma continued.

"That was years ago." Ben explained hastily.

"And I'm not a stylist." Phasma snapped.

"Phasma." Ben said harshly.

There was a moment of silence between them. He was beginning to crack.

He sighed and ran a hand uncomfortably through his hair.

"Please." He said. He didn't ask it. He stated it.

Phasma pursed her lips and drummed her fingers on the dome of her helmet in her lap.

"All right. Fine." Phasma said, rolling her eyes. Ben almost smiled in response but refrained himself.

"I require a credit chip." She ordered.

"Done." Ben said, reaching into the interior of his jacket and tossing her a black piece of thin plastic.

"Don't go crazy." He warned.

"No promises." She replied.

"Bring her to my room when you arrive." She said, giving another wave of her hand to him, this time shooing him away.

"I can't go get her." Ben said aghast.

"And why not?" Phasma said.

"I have to get myself ready! I barely have enough time to go invite her. I don't have enough time to drag her back here as well."

"You haven't even invited her yet??? Gracious Ren, that's not how you treat a lady." Phasma said, clicking her tongue disapprovingly.

"Yeah well, it's not like I had planned on even attending. Let alone with her."

Phasma groaned, annoyed.

"FINE." She said. Ben gave her a small half smile - a simple upturn of the corner of his mouth - before he quickly turned and hurried out of the room, back towards the hanger.

"A thank you would have been nice!" She called out after his retreating figure.

xXx

Ben stomped through the piles of snow towards the entrance of the hanger of the base on Hoth. They obviously had received some heavy weather following his last visit. Once he reached the inside of the hanger, he kicked his boots on a nearby supply crate, ice crystals falling in a wet puddle.

There were a few Resistance members milling about. An older lady with blonde curly hair nearly screamed when she saw him and she practically ran off. Probably to warn his mother, no doubt. But he knew she knew he was already here.

"Stalking is illegal." Called a voice to Ben from the underside of the Falcon.

"Who said I was stalking?" Ben rudely replied to Rey as she came out from underneath the ship, a streak of black oil on her cheek.

"Still fixing that damn ship?" He asked.

"She doesn't like the cold." Rey said, placing a gloved palm on the side of the Falcon, talking as if the ship was a person with feelings.

"Come to check up on me, have you?" Rey asked. "Here to steal our assault plans?"

"You can cool it with the attitude." Ben said, his eyes slightly narrowing.

Rey tossed a pilex driver into the toolbox next to the ramp of the Falcon.

"Sorry." She lightly mumbled. She wiped her dirty gloves on the sides of her pants.

"What does the Supreme Leader require today?" She said. She still spoke with an attitude, but this time with cheeky sarcasm compared to the bitterness she was spewing before.

Oh Gods, he was having to ask her to join him at the gala. He felt trapped. He choked. He stared at her blankly.

"Rey?" Interrupted a voice. Rey turned her head. Poe and Finn were approaching, Rose tailing behind cautiously.

"Everything okay over here? Need us to take out the trash?" Poe asked icily, eyeing Ben heavily.

"I'm good." Rey told Poe. Ben glared at Poe.

"You know there's this great invention called a ComLink." Poe said in a babying tone to Ben. "If you want to check up on us so damn bad you can call instead of dragging your sorry ass in here all the time."

Ben clenched his fists. He wanted to sock the pilot in his smug face so bad. But he was here for other reasons. Revenge could come later....

"I'm not here for that." Ben said, his chin nodding upwards in a defiant motion. Poe frowned.

"Rey, call us if you need us." Poe said to Rey, nodding to her and heading back towards his X-Wing.

Ben turned to Rey. She was frowning, her arms crossed. Strands of her hair hung messily in her face.

"I've been asked to invite you to Cantonica." He said, trying his best to avoid this sounding like a date. BECAUSE IT WASN'T! It was NOT a DATE.

"You mean like a DATE?" Rey asked.

Damn it.

"NO." Ben said, a little too forcefully. Rey frowned. Ben regained his composure. He sighed, becoming frustrated.

"General Hux insists you attend. It was his idea."

"Why does he want me to go to Cantonica? And why are you following HIS orders? You're the Supreme Leader."

"It's all in good show for our surrender." Ben lied.

Rey scrunched up her face in thought. She recalled what Leia had said. This was a good opportunity to try to figure out what the First Order was hiding. But it could also be a trap...

"All right." She replied slowly.

"I don't take rejection well." Ben snapped out of instinct, having expected her to turn the invite down. Rey bit her lip, trying to hide a smile.

"Did you say yes?" Ben asked her. She nodded.

"Yes. Sure. I'll go. For the surrender." She said, emphasizing the last word.

"Fine." Ben said quickly.

"What should I wear?" Rey asked quietly, not wanting to look up at Ben. "I don't have much...."

"I've got that handled." Ben said, with a flick of his hand over his shoulder. A strange metallic clomping began to echo in the hanger.

Phasma rounded the side of the Falcon, snow dusting the top of her helmet and shoulders.

"I'll see you at 21:00." He said, turning on his heel and swaggering out the doors of the hanger.


	11. Kiss Me

*inspired briefly by 'Kiss Me' by Sixpence None The Richer*

Rey stared at Phasma in confusion.

"All right scavenger. We've got a lot of work ahead of us." Phasma said to Rey. She pulled a large silver trunk with her.

"I don't understand." Rey said, feeling slightly scared and uncomfortable. Ben had just left, leaving Rey with no explanation of what was going on whatsoever. Not to mention he left her with one of his associates.

"Phasma!" Came a harsh voice from behind Rey.

"Ah. FN-2187. Good day." Phasma said, nodding to Finn.

"It's Finn, remember?" Finn said acidly to Phasma.

"Oh yes. Your traitor name." Phasma replied airily. "It's a shame you switched sides. Your division was one of my best."

"At least the Resistance appreciates me for what I'm worth." Finn spat. Phasma took a couple of steps past Rey and towards Finn.

"I appreciate all of my soldiers. As long as they are LOYAL." Phasma hissed from under her helmet.

"Get out of here. You're not welcome." Finn said to her, placing a hand on a blaster holstered to his side.

"I'm not here for the Resistance. I'm here for the scavenger."

"You're not taking her anywhere." Poe interrupted.

"Excuse me." Phasma said, insulted. "You have no say in the matter. The Supreme Leader has requested it." she said to the men.

Poe and Finn looked towards Rey.

"Rey?" Finn asked her, confusion in his face.

"It's okay." Rey said to them. "I'll be fine."

"Where are you taking her?" Finn demanded to know.

"Cantonica."

Finn snorted.

"Just for the evening. She will be back. Hopefully." Phasma replied.

"You will return her by midnight." Finn said. Rey made a face at him.

"02:00." Phasma bargained.

"01:00."

"01:30."

"01:15." Finn said, his grip on his blaster tightening.

"Fine." Phasma said. She turned sharply and grabbed Rey's arm.

"Come on girl, we're going to be late."

Rey gave Finn a grumpy look as Phasma pushed her up the ramp of the Falcon, dragging the trunk with her.

xXx

Once inside the Falcon, Rey whirled around to Phasma.

"What was that about?" Rey asked her angrily. "I'm not a child. I don't need a curfew."

"I do what I need to do to keep everyone in line." Phasma said. "We aren't going to have any more problems now, are we?" She asked.

Before Rey could say anything else, Phasma took off her helmet and Rey stared blankly at her, at a loss for words.

"It's cold in here." Phasma said. "Have you no heat on this ship?" She quipped as she looked around. Rey continued to stare at Phasma.

"Oh come on dear, don't make me blush." Phasma said, turning away from her and unlatching the trunk.

"I'm sorry." Rey said, averting her eyes, feeling embarrassed. "You're not what I expected." She admitted.

"What? You were expecting scars, boils, and warts?" Phasma said with a tone of annoyance.

"No." Rey said, shaking her head. "I just...."

"It's all right." Phasma said to Rey. "I'm used to it by now. Sit."

Rey obliged and took a seat at the holo panel. Phasma placed her helmet on the holo chess table and stared thoughtfully at Rey.

"What are you here for?" Rey asked her, eyeing the trunk warily.

"It was mentioned you lacked the proper clothes for a gala." Phasma said annoyed. Rey blushed.

"I don't have much. Everything I had was left on Jakku." Rey said, looking down at her hands.

"Ah yes. Jakku." Phasma said. "Pity." She said, shaking her head as she rummaged through the trunk.

Phasma approached Rey with a cloth in hand.

"May I?" Phasma asked. Rey felt startled at her politeness. Rey nodded and Phasma began to scrub her face. Just as Phasma inspected Rey's features, Rey did the same to Phasma.

"You're prettier than I expected." Rey muttered shyly. Phasma went pink.

"Thank you dear." Phasma said. She sighed. "Just because I'm a powerful Captain doesn't mean I can't enjoy my feminine side." She said.

She approached Rey with a black bag filled with many brushes of varying sizes and tiny pallets of color. Rey recognized it as a makeup kit. She had seen a few come through Unkar Plutt's station from time to time, but she never had enough to trade for one. Survival was more important than vanity.

"You know." Phasma said quietly as she crouched in front of Rey, inspecting the makeup. "I used to be a scavenger like yourself."

Rey's eyes went wide.

"Really?" She asked. Phasma nodded.

"My brother Keldo and I. We scavenged starships for weapons and supplies on Parnassos."

"You have a brother?" Rey asked.

"Had." Phasma replied.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Rey said as Phasma began brushing at Rey's face with the makeup.

"No need to apologize." Phasma said. It was quiet for a minute. "You would have liked him I think."

"Really?"

"He negotiated peace."

"Then how did you get wrapped up with the First Order?" Rey asked as Phasma tilted Rey's face back and forth.

"I trained warriors. The strongest on Parnassos. The First Order invaded the planet and recruited me because of my strength."

"I see." Rey said.

"I hear you're quite strong yourself." Phasma said to Rey as she dabbed a gooey black wand at Rey's eyes.

"Who said that?" Rey asked. "The Supreme Leader?"

"Anyone who can take out Leader Snoke and his guards alone must be very powerful." Phasma said, eyeing Rey carefully. Rey blushed.

Should she tell her? She seemed so nice....

"Don't worry Rey. I already know the truth." Phasma said as she moved on to dabbing at Rey's other eye.

"Do you have the Force?" Rey whispered. Phasma laughed.

"No. Of course not." Phasma chuckled again. "I'm very observant." She replied.

"Oh." Rey said quietly.

"Does Ben know you know?" Rey asked Phasma.

"Ben?" Phasma asked, sounding slightly confused. She smiled warmly. "Oh, you mean the Supreme Leader. I haven't heard him referred to that in ages. He let's you call him Ben?"

Rey nodded slightly and blushed.

"If you keep blushing I might as well put away the next pallet." Phasma lightly scolded.

"Sorry." Rey apologized. Phasma swirled another brush onto a pink circle and patted some more at her face.

"Yes. He knows." Phasma said. She softly giggled. "Ben." She said to herself.

"Um.... Captain..."

"You may call me Phasma. It is my first name after all." Phasma told Rey.

"Phasma." Rey said, the word felt funny on her lips. "Why are you here?"

"I'm your stylist." Phasma cheekily replied.

"Yes, but why?"

"The Supreme Leader asked me to see to you personally." Phasma said, closing the lid to the pink pallet with a snap. She reached up and tugged on Rey's hair.

"Ouch!" Rey said, reaching a hand up to her head.

"What tangles." Phasma said, shaking her head. "This won't do."

Rey brought Phasma her brush and Phasma began to comb out the knots in her hair.

"So what exactly am I going to?" Rey asked Phasma.

"I honestly don't know nor do I care." Phasma said as she pulled back on Rey's hair with the brush. Rey frowned.

"Just try to have fun, hmmm?" Phasma told her. "I'm not going through all this trouble to make you fancy for you to have a bad time."

When Rey was finished getting ready, Phasma took a step back and admired her handiwork.

"Am I good or what?" Phasma said to herself.

"I feel funny." Rey said.

"Nonsense, you look great." Phasma said. She handed Rey a large fur coat.

"Put this on, if we don't leave now we're going to be late."

"I'm not taking the Falcon?"

"This piece of garbage? Certainly not. The Supreme Leader put me in charge of you, I shall be escorting you to Cantonica in my shuttle." Phasma said, putting on her helmet.

En route to Cantonica, Rey fidgeted in her seat. Phasma got up from the pilots chair and walked to the back of the shuttle towards a door.

"Where are you going?" Rey asked her.

"I have to get ready as well." Phasma said. "The ship's on auto pilot, don't worry."

"You trust me enough not to hijack the ship?"

"Are you going to hijack the ship?" Phasma asked.

"No." Rey admitted.

"Then I don't see what the problem is. Besides, they're expecting us. If anything was to happen, they'd know where to look."

With that, Phasma shut the door, leaving Rey alone.

xXx

"Where are they?" Ben grumbled as he paced at the bar on the casino yacht. The ship was due to depart any minute and still there was no sign of Phasma or Rey.

"You're surprised?" Hux scoffed to Ben, reaching for his drink.

"She's probably overpowered Phasma and the Resistance is readying to bomb the Finalizer as we speak."

"She wouldn't do that." Ben said.

"Of course she would. She's a dirty criminal." Hux said, slamming his empty glass on the table. Ben sat down next to Hux in a huff.

Hux motioned to the bartender for another drink. The bartender prepared a drink and when he sat it down, Ben swiped it away. Hux glared at him. The bartender hurried and started making another drink.

A glisten of platinum blonde hair appeared at the top of the stairs. Phasma was in a long silver gown that was sleeveless with a large slit up one side. Her blonde curls had been tamed, slicked down in a sleek and elegant fashion.

Ben stood up in a hurry, bumping into Hux's extended elbow.

"Ah! My drink!" Hux said as his new drink splashed over the rim of the glass, spilling on his tie. He hurriedly blotted at it with a napkin.

Ben awaited Phasma at the base of the steps.

"Where is she?" He demanded of Phasma as she was halfway down the steps. Phasma rolled her eyes.

"She's being shy." Phasma told Ben, stopping in the middle of the stairs. She turned her head from him.

"Come on now darling, we haven't got all night." She called up the steps.

Rey approached the top of the stairs. The yacht was loud and bright. The lights hurt her eyes. She began to make her way down the steps.

Rey had shed the fur coat long before they had arrived on Cantonica. She now felt exposed in the light blue dress Phasma had chosen for her. She desperately missed her signature arm wraps. The dress was slightly off shoulder and the scooped neckline exposed just enough cleavage to please Rey's modesty and Phasma's fashion sense. The main part of the dress ended above her knees but it had a glittery sheer panel that flowed from the waist and down to her ankles. Her toes felt pinched in the strappy silver heels Phasma had insisted she wear.

'He's a tall man. You'll need them.' Phasma had said.

Phasma continued walking ahead of her. Ben's mouth hung agape as Rey walked down the stairs, enamored by the sight.

"Close your mouth." Phasma hissed to Ben. She reached towards the tray of a passing waiter, swiping a champagne glass off its top. She downed the drink swiftly.

"You're welcome." She said thickly to him before sashaying towards the bar.


	12. The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody)

*briefly inspired by 'The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody) by Bebe Rexha feat. Lil Wayne*

The yacht jerked as it launched out towards the man made ocean of Cantonica. The chandelier above twinkled at the motion. Rey, already unsteady enough from her heels, found herself falling forward, stumbling the last couple of steps.

Ben hurried forward, catching her by her shoulders. She went red in the face, her arms gripping at his lower arms as she steadied herself.

"Thank you." She whispered, straightening herself and patting at her hair.

"Don't mention it." Ben said, smoothing at his dinner jacket.

They stood there awkwardly. Rey examined his jacket. It was one she hadn't seen before. The style was similar to his other jackets, black and belted around the middle. It was longer than the others with a tuxedo cut to the back. It was made out of almost a silky material.

Ben admired her hair. Phasma had styled it with soft curls that delicately framed her face. Speaking of her face, if Rey was pretty without makeup, she was now the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. Her long lashes were accented with mascara and her eyes glittered with a shimmery blue eye shadow surrounding them.

"You look.... Different." Ben said. "A good different." He added.

Rey blushed.

"So do you." She replied.

Ben shifted his shoulders uncomfortably.

"Listen, if we're going to be friends, you're going to have to deal with Hux sooner rather than later." He warned her.

Rey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled lightly. Ben wanted to be friends? The idea was pleasing, but Leia's words continued to echo in her mind. Rey nodded to Ben.

"All right, come on." He said, turning and walking toward the bar.

xXx

Hux nearly spat out his drink when he saw Rey.

"What did you DO?" Hux choked to Phasma as she took a seat next to him at the bar.

"I bought her clothes."

"That was never part of the plan!" Hux balked. "She was supposed to come in dirty rags and humiliate him!"

"Looks like he outsmarted you. Again." Phasma told him as she flagged down the bartender.

"How much did you spend on her?"

"Ten thousand."

Hux choked again.

"That's nine thousand more than I'd spend on some desert trash." Hux sneered "If that."

Ben and Rey approached the bar. Phasma smiled at Rey and patted the seat next to her.

"General." Rey said kindly to Hux as she took the seat Phasma had motioned to.

"Scavenger." Hux said airily before taking a sip of his drink.

"Thank you for your gracious invite." Rey said to Hux. Hux eyed her warily. How dare she speak to him. And what did she mean, HIS invite?

"General. Rey has thanked you for your hospitality." Ben said from his end of the bar, staring him down.

Hux glared at Ben.

"You're welcome." Hux nearly spat at Rey.

"What would you like to drink Rey?" Phasma asked.

"Oh. Um... I don't know... I've never had a tonic before."

Hux snorted.

"I'll order for you. Shall I?" Phasma asked. Rey nodded.

Soon a drink in a fancy triangular glass was delivered to Rey. It was bright pink and had a swirl of fruit on the rim. It tasted fruity but with a pinch of bitterness.

"It's too bad your friends had to destroy the town." Hux said. "These yachts aren't nearly as comfortable as the hotel casinos."

"I'm sure those fathiers weren't comfortable either." Rey shot back, sipping her drink politely.

Phasma liked this girl. She was beginning to see why Ben liked her too.

"Ren, join me outside?" Hux asked, sliding off the leather bar seat. He reached inside his coat pocket and took out a long silver box, opening it up and taking out two cigarras.

"Ladies." Ben said politely as he stood up, excusing himself from the bar.

Phasma waved them off. Rey watched Ben leave with Hux with a slight look of longing.

"Having fun yet?" Phasma asked Rey.

"I'm not sure." Rey said as she continued to sip her drink. "I've never been to a party before."

"Surely you can't assume we do nothing but participate in wars all the time." Phasma told her. "We're allowed to enjoy ourselves occasionally."

Rey thought about what Phasma said. Was this what life was like in the real world? When one didn't have to worry about survival in a harsh desert? When there was no imminent threat? There wasn't always war in the galaxy. Sure, she had played make believe as a pilot from time to time to escape boredom back on Jakku. But that was before she was involved with the Resistance. Never had she imagined she would be at a party on an extravagant yacht.

But she couldn't enjoy herself. She told herself she would come to try to figure out the First Orders plans. That's what she was here for, right? Right.

"Phasma." Rey said. "Do you know why Ben issued the surrender?" She asked bluntly. Phasma set down her drink slowly.

"Exactly what was said before." Phasma said. "Skywalker is gone. He is no longer a threat. The Resistance has been greatly diminished. That's that." She said simply.

Rey frowned. She considered using the Force on Phasma to seek if she was telling the truth. Could she find out without Phasma resisting? But Ben was nearby. He would probably sense it if she tried. She didn't want to get caught. And Phasma was actually very nice to Rey. Would she lie to her?

"Any other questions?" Phasma asked, as Rey had become quiet while lost in her own thoughts.

"No." Rey lied. She gave Phasma a small smile. "Thank you for the clothes."

"My pleasure. It was worth it. Did you see the look on his face?"

Rey blushed.

"No. I was trying not to fall."

"That worked out well." Phasma teased. Rey lightly laughed.

Hux and Ben returned minutes later.

"You know that is a horrid habit." Phasma scolded them.

"It's a social occurrence." Hux said, placing the silver box back in his jacket pocket.

"If I ever found cigarras, I could earn at least two full portions for them. Two and a half if I was lucky." Rey said, trying to join in the conversation. Hux looked at her as if she had three heads.

"Well I don't know about you but I'm feeling like playing a few games." Phasma said, grabbing her drink and sliding out of her seat.

"Armitage?" She asked, nodding her head towards the gambling tables.

"Fine." Hux said, almost annoyed. The two headed off, leaving Rey and Ben alone at the bar.

Ben nursed his drink in his hand, trying his best to avoid staring at Rey.

Meanwhile, Rey stared out at the beautiful and varying couples on the dance floor. There were many women in fancy gowns with jewels in their hair. A dark haired man in a white suit with a dashing moustache and matching smile was twirling a woman to the tune the band played on a nearby stage.

Rey didn't realize how wistful she looked as she stared out at the splendor of the dancers.

"You want to dance." Ben said quietly to her, startling her from her thoughts. Rey frowned at him.

"No I don't." She lied.

"Yes. You do. I see it on your face." He told her. Rey looked down and blushed.

"I don't know how to." She said sadly.

Ben stood up and took her by the hand lightly. His hand tightened as he felt Rey pull back.

"I said I DON'T know how to." She protested as he pulled her towards the edge of the dance floor.

"But I do." Ben said. He gently placed one of his hands at her waist, guiding one of her hands to his forearm. He took back her other hand, clasping it in his at shoulder height.

Rey could feel her face burning red and she avoided looking at him. His hands felt so strong and she soon felt the familiar nervousness course through her veins. Her fingertips trembled against his palm. She could feel her heels clumsily bumping against his feet.

He lightly pushed and pulled at her waist, making her sway simply to the tune of the band. She finally peeked up at him. He wasn't looking at her, he was staring off into space. She blushed. His eyes quickly snapped to her.

"What." He said simply.

"How did you learn to dance?" Rey asked him as they swayed slowly in a circular motion.

"You can't be the son of a Senator without learning how to dance." Ben said, sounding annoyed.

"Oh." Rey said.

"My mother taught me." Ben explained with more depth this time. "When my father wasn't around, I'd go to political functions with her. She taught me to dance because of them. Though I never got many chances to actually utilize what I learned."

"Why not?" Rey asked.

"The other girls were too scared of me I think." He lightly smirked at the memories.

"I'm not scared." Rey blurt out. Ben's smirk grew wider.

"I know." He told her.

She found herself instinctively inching closer to him, his hand trailing from the side of her waist to her lower back. The smell of the cigarra on his jacket tickling her nose as her face neared his chest. It was almost sweet smelling, like the taste of the vanilla cream she had in her caf that morning.

"Oh look Armitage." Phasma said to Hux from the roulette table. She nodded towards Ben and Rey on the dance floor. Hux gagged at the sight.

"Why would you make me look at that?" He said, making a heavily disgusted face.

"Winner! Black! 31!" The roulette handler shouted.

"Yahoo!" Phasma cried. "Pay up." She said to Hux. He grumbled and reached in his pocket, slapping a stack of coins in her outstretched palm.

"You better get used to losing Armitage." Phasma said to Hux. "Betting isn't your strong suit."

Hux glowered at Phasma. He turned his head towards the dance floor, his eyes narrowing.

The music had slowed and the couples became closer.

It felt very surreal, dancing with Ben. But Rey felt safe in his arms, forgetting all about why she had agreed to come to the gala in the first place.

She could hear Ben's heartbeat loudly in her ear as she rested her head on his chest, his sharp chin nestled in her hair.

"Ben?" She asked, pulling back to look up at him.

"Yes?" He asked, looking down at her.

"I'm sorry for what I said before." Rey said. "Calling you a monster."

"That was Kylo Ren." Ben told her, his hand flexing slightly against hers.

"I know." Rey replied. She looked down.

"I'm glad I came tonight. I had fun." Rey told him.

"I'm glad you're here too. Even though you scuffed up my favorite boots." Ben said. Rey giggled.

"You look very pretty tonight." Ben told her in a moment of weakness. She looked up at him, feeling startled at his honesty.

"Ben..." She whispered, feeling unable to control herself as she leaned in close to him, her chin raising upwards. Her eyelids fluttered shut, feeling his long face approach hers. His breath was warm, still smelling lightly of the vanilla smoke from the cigarra. His lips parted slowly, inching forward.

"Supreme Leader." Hux nearly shouted from behind Ben. Rey's eyes snapped open.

Ben pulled away from Rey with a jolt, quickly dropping her hand.

"We must be going." Hux informed Ben. "The ship has docked and we have a busy day tomorrow."

Ben looked at Rey, who looked slightly embarrassed and sad. Phasma brushed past Hux and Ben.

"Come along Rey. It's nearly 01:00 and you have a curfew to keep." Phasma said, taking Rey by the arm and leading her towards the stairs.

Rey looked back at Ben as Phasma led her up the stairs. She couldn't place the look on his face, but she understood now more than ever what Leia meant that he was a danger to her. Because she was in danger of falling for the Supreme Leader.


	13. Delicate

*briefly inspired by 'Delicate' by Taylor Swift*

Phasma was kind enough to drop Rey off inside the hanger after they arrived on Hoth.

"01:10. Cutting it close." Finn said rudely as Rey departed the ship. She shrugged off the large fur coat and handed it back to Phasma.

"Have a pleasant evening." Phasma nodded to Rey before shutting the door to the shuttle. Rey hurried past Finn, the chill of the hanger beginning to make her shiver in her lack of appropriate clothes. Finn followed her.

"So did you have a good time?" He asked snidely.

"Why does it matter if I had a good time or not?" Rey said as entered her room. She kicked off the silver heels and reached for the furry slippers on her bed.

"Because he's the enemy Rey."

"He used to be the enemy. They surrendered, remember?"

"I don't believe this surrender for one minute." Finn argued.

"Neither does Leia, which is why she wants me to find out what's going on." Rey snapped back.

"Oh." Finn said, becoming quiet. "Oh.... So that's why.... Oh...." He repeated. He ran a hand across his forehead.

"Rey..... I'm sorry.... I just...."

"Don't you have someone else to worry about now?" Rey snapped again, feeling irritated.

Finn frowned.

"Rey. You're one of my best friends. I care about you. I don't want to see you get hurt by that monster."

"He's not a monster. Snoke was the monster. If you had been there, if you had seen him! You would understand."

"You're right. I wasn't there, and I don't understand." Finn agreed.

"Then let me handle myself. I handled myself for 15 years. All by myself. Alone." Rey said, feeling tears coming to her eyes.

"All right. Fine. If that's what you want." Finn said, holding up his hands in defense.

"Just leave me alone Finn." Rey said.

"All right." Finn said again. He turned to head out of the Falcon. He turned back to her as he stood in the doorway.

"You look beautiful by the way." He told her as he exited the ship.

When Rey heard the sound of the Falcon ramp finish closing, she flung herself on the bed and began to cry.

xXx

The next morning, Rey dressed herself in one of the new outfits Phasma had brought. She had new snow boots and thermal pants that actually fit. Plus a new gray sweater, this one with no holes.

Rey went to the stables in search of Leia, but found Poe instead.

"If it isn't the belle of the ball." Poe said as he was brushing one of the Tauntauns. "Have a good time?"

"I did until Finn ruined it." Rey said as she entered the paddock.

"Yeah. He told me." Poe said, not looking at Rey.

"Want to help?" He asked her, handing her the brush he had in his hand. Rey nodded.

"So you knew what I was up to?" Rey asked Poe. He nodded as he reached for a nearby shovel.

"Leia told me."

"You find out anything?" Poe asked as he began cleaning up the dung in the paddock. Rey shook her head as she brushed Bessie's long fur.

"Not yet."

"I'm sure you'll find out something." Poe said, heaving a shovel full of dung into a wooden crate on wheels.

"Poe...." Rey started, pausing in her brushing. "Am I kissable?"

"Really Rey? You're asking me this while I'm scooping shit? What kind of question is that anyways?"

"I don't know.... Just a thought...." Rey lied as she went back to brushing.

Poe sighed audibly as he flung another scoop in the crate.

"Do you want my honest answer?" Poe asked.

"Yes." Rey answered quickly.

"Rey, you're very pretty." Poe said. "If a guy didn't want to kiss you, he'd be crazy."

Rey blushed.

"You free tomorrow night then?" He asked her, giving her a wink. She laughed and threw the brush at him.

"Kidding, I'm kidding." He said, picking the brush up off the ground and handing it back to her. "Mostly."

"Thanks Poe." Rey said.

"Anytime." Poe said, giving her another wink.

xXx

"Really Phasma? Ten THOUSAND?" Ben yelled at Phasma in the control room.

"You saw her clothes. She had nothing!" Phasma defended.

"I asked you to dress her for the gala, not buy her an entire wardrobe!" Ben continued shouting.

"Excuse me, Supreme Leader, fashion isn't cheap. You wanted her up to Cantonica standards, I made her up to Cantonica standards."

"I MEANT FOR THE NIGHT. ONE NIGHT!"

"Come now Ren, we both know you liked how she looked. The dress alone was five thousand."

"FIVE?!?!? Phasma...."

"Excuse me, Supreme Leader?" Said a storm trooper as they nervously entered the control room.

"WHAT." Ben snapped.

"There seems to be a um... A situation... In the hanger." The trooper reported.

Phasma and Ben glanced at each other quickly before Ben turned and stormed out towards the elevator.

"Get off me!" Rey shouted as she was being detained by two Stormtrooper Officers. She attempted to punch one of the Officers with her cuffed wrists.

"Not a chance, murderer." The Officer said, trying to not be kicked as Rey struggled against them.

The elevator doors hissed open and Ben emerged, angry.

"Get those cuffs off her." Ben ordered.

"But Supreme Leader..." The first Officer objected.

"TAKE. THEM. OFF." Ben said, his eyes burning with rage.

"Yes Supreme Leader."

The Officers obliged, unlocking the cuffs.

"Really? Is this how you treat your guests?" Rey spat at the troopers.

"Apologize." Ben demanded of the Officers. They looked at each other before turning to Rey.

"Our apologizes." The first Officer stated.

"Back to your posts." Ben said. Rey glared at the Officers as they retreated. She sighed angrily in a huff.

"Are you all right?" Ben asked quietly.

"What was that about?" Rey asked hotly. "I didn't attack you when you came to our base."

"True." Ben said, nodding his head in agreement. He took her lightly by the elbow and began leading her towards the elevator.

"But you are smarter than they are. Don't worry, I will make sure they are punished accordingly." He said as the elevator doors closed behind them.

Ben punched a sequence into the elevator and it began to rise. They stood there awkwardly in silence. Rey glanced up at Ben as he stared straight ahead at the blank doors of the elevator. His face was hard and stern. It was sort of funny how he could be so upset with the Officers one second and then gentle with her the next as he had guided her to the elevator.

His eyes flicked down at her, sensing her gaze. She hastily looked away, blushing. He itched at the back of his neck, lightly clearing his throat.

The doors opened and they emerged to a hallway devoid of troopers.

"I assume you have a reason for your being here." Ben said to Rey as she trailed behind him down the hallway.

"What? Oh. Yes." Rey said.

"We won't be disturbed in here." Ben said turning to a set of doors with a keypad at the side. He entered in a code and the doors swiftly opened.

Rey recognized it as the room she had seen him in a few nights prior. His personal suite, she assumed.

"Well?" Ben asked, turning to her.

Rey blushed again. She had been so nervous about coming to speak with him, she had nearly forgotten the purpose for her visit.

"I wanted to see you." Rey said.

"Oh?" Ben asked. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"About the surrender."

"Oh." He repeated. He turned from her and walked to a small kitchenette.

"Ben, why would you let us go so easily?"

Ben frowned. Letting her go was not easy. Why else was he in this current predicament? Rey bringing up her curiosities was not helping.

"I don't know what you don't understand." Ben said, not looking at her as he busied himself with some glasses.

"You made such an effort to destroy us on Crait. And then you just let us go. Why? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Ben filled a glass with liquid from a blue bottle and slid it towards her.

"Snokes goal was always Skywalker. It's why he sought me out at the academy. Snoke is gone, and so is Skywalker. The Resistance has nothing the First Order requires anymore."

'Except you.' He thought.

Rey pondered his words.

'Maybe this is it. Maybe she will believe me and I can end this bet.'

"None of us believe you." Rey said.

"Then why are you here." Ben said, a hint of anger in his voice.

Rey blushed and looked down at the drink in her hands.

"You said last night we were friends..." Rey mumbled.

"Yes." Ben said simply.

"Why exactly are we friends?" She asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"What else would you call what we have?" Ben pried. "We certainly aren't strangers anymore."

Rey didn't answer him. Ben set his glass down loudly.

"You came here expecting answers that I apparently can't give you." He said annoyed. "If that is all, then you can leave."

'Please don't leave.' His mind pleaded.

"I guess I need to get to know Ben a little more before I know if I can trust him or not." Rey said, glancing up at Ben shyly.

His mouth twitched again.

Before he had a chance to answer, there was a knock at his door. Rey jumped, nearly dropping her drink. Ben huffed past her to the door. He pressed a button and the door opened with a hiss.

"What is it now Phasma?" Ben asked.

"Supreme Leader, your delivery was mistakenly taken to my suite." Phasma said loudly, shoving a large pink floral arrangement at Ben.

"What are you doing?" Ben hissed at her. "I didn't order these."

"Give them to her." Phasma whispered

"What?!" He hissed back

"Trust me." Phasma said. "Oh hello Rey, nice to see you again." Phasma said again loudly, waving at Rey before the door quickly shut her out.

"What are those?" Rey asked Ben from the kitchen.

"Uh.... They're for you." Ben said hesitantly.

"For me?" Rey said, setting down her drink and approaching Ben as he stood near the door.

"You bought me flowers?"

"Apparently." Ben mumbled.

"What for?" Rey asked as she took the arrangement from his hands.

"As a.... a thank you. For coming to the gala." Ben made up.

"They're very beautiful." Rey said, lightly touching the tops of the pink blossoms. "I've never received flowers before."

Oh Gods, what was happening to him? His chest and face felt warm as he watched her admire the unexpected gift.

"Thank you." Rey said to Ben. She took a step towards him, the flowers brushing the front of his jacket. She leaned up on her toes and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek, right on the scar she had given him.

She couldn't leave him now. Not again. Not ever. No matter if she believed him or not.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" He found his mouth saying. Rey gave him a smile.

'"That would be lovely." She replied.


	14. Chemicals React

*briefly inspired by 'Chemicals React' by Aly & AJ*

Rey's mind was screaming at her. WHAT WAS SHE DOING?

She just agreed to having dinner with him. She said the word 'lovely' to him. Hell, she didn't know what had come over her that caused her to lean up and kiss him, but she did it anyways. On the scar she gave him no less!

Ben stood frozen. Maybe he was panicking too.

Wait. He asked if she wanted to stay for dinner. He didn't say have dinner WITH him. Right? Maybe he meant just have dinner on the cruiser. Take part in what they had to eat.

"Where do you usually eat?" Rey asked, heading back towards the kitchen, cradling the flowers in her arms.

Ben snapped out of his state of shock.

"In here. By myself." He said slowly.

'Kriff!' Rey thought. He did mean dinner with him.

"What time is dinner?" Rey asked, browsing his kitchen for a large glass for the flowers. The cabinets were very bare. It was quite obvious Ben stayed to himself, even when amongst the First Order.

Ben looked at the chronometer next to his bed.

"Not for another three hours."

"Three hours?" Rey asked, as she found a glass tall enough to use for the flowers. "What will we do until then?"

'Dammit, I said 'we'.' Rey thought as she filled the glass from the small metal sink in the kitchen.

Ben smirked. She said 'we.'

"I suppose I could show you around the cruiser....." Ben said, trailing off. "Unless you have any more pointless questions for me."

"No." She said, a tad sharply - giving Ben a quick glare at his attitude. Rey set the flowers in the glass.

"A walk sounds nice." She said, coming out from the kitchen and back towards him. "I feel out of my element here. It would be nice to see what your days are like for a change."

"It hasn't changed much." Ben admitted as he turned around and opened the door, Rey following him out.

"What do you mean?" Rey asked.

"Since I became Supreme Leader."

"Oh." Rey said. She fell in step with Ben as he stalked down the hall towards the elevator.

"You look nice today." Ben said to her, breaking the silence in the elevator.

"Thank you" Rey said, looking down at her new sweater. "The clothes Phasma brought me are nice. I like them very much"

"Then I'm glad my money was well spent." Ben said, stepping out of the elevator.

"Your money?" Rey asked.

"Yes."

"You bought me these?"

"Phasma took creative liberties with my credits. It's her you should be thanking." Ben explained.

"But you asked her to buy me clothes. To dress me for the gala? Why?"

Ben sighed.

"I thought you didn't have any pointless questions for me." He told her.

"This isn't a pointless question." Rey argued.

"Let's just say.... You also make me feel out of my element...." Ben told her, stopping in his steps. Rey nearly ran into him.

She stared up at him, gazing into his familiar brown eyes. She tried to decipher the longing gaze he gave her, but she hastily looked away when she felt her face become flushed.

"You're special..... To me...." Ben said.

Rey could feel her whole body redden.

"Hux wanted to embarrass you at the gala. I thought the clothes would prevent that." Ben said, beginning his long strides again.

"Why would he want to do that?"

"Because he's a dick."

Rey giggled.

"Speak of the devil..." Ben said as they rounded the corner and into the command station for the hanger. Hux was overseeing the repairs some Stormtroopers were doing on some transport shuttles.

"Well, well, well." Hux sneered at Rey. "Your eye sore of a ship is taking up space in my hanger. I hope you'll be taking leave soon."

"As a matter of fact, I'm staying for dinner." Rey said haughtily to Hux. Hux's eyes flicked up to Ben and then back to Rey.

"Are you serving the meal?" He sassed.

"No, I believe your mother is in charge of the kitchens tonight." Rey shot back.

One of the commanders in the station snorted with laughter. Ben's eyes lit up giddily. Hux's eyes burned and his face nearly became the same shade as his hair.

"Supreme Leader, surely you aren't going to let this criminal speak to me like this?" Hux said to Ben.

"I'll allow it." Ben said, glancing towards Rey. Rey blushed. Hux angrily huffed.

"Your troopers don't know what they're doing." Rey told him pointedly, nodding out the stations window.

"I beg your pardon!? They are HIGHLY skilled and trained!" Hux said.

"Well, they just installed that calcinator backwards." Rey said.

Ben made a noise that sounded like a snicker but he quickly turned it into a cough. Hux glared at both of them. He stomped out of the station and began yelling obscenities at the troopers.

"Why do the shuttles need new calcinators?" Rey asked Ben, curious.

"Just routine maintenance. Taking advantage with the lack of war for some needed repairs." Ben lied.

"Hmm." Rey said. She took a mental note of this.

The next stop was a brief look at Ben's TIE Silencer.

"I like your shuttle better." Rey said, as she let her hand run over the length of the cold black metal sides of the fighter.

"Why's that?" He asked her, letting his hand trace the path she made.

"I know it sounds weird... But probably because it's what you arrived in when I first met you." Rey said.

"You mean when I knocked you out?" He asked.

"Yes. Which was rude by the way."

"True." Ben said. "You could have given me the map though."

"You told me you could take whatever you want." Rey teased.

"That was before I knew you had the Force."

"What does that have to do with anything?" She asked.

"It has everything to do with it. That's when everything changed."

Ben halted. He pressed his lips together tightly. He was saying too much.

"Moving on." He said, exiting the ships hanger, Rey still at his heels.

"You'll enjoy the next stop." He said quickly, trying to distract her from what he said earlier.

Ben entered a large set of doors to a room with many computer monitors.

"Phasma!" Rey said happily at the sight of the chrome armor sitting in front of the largest monitor.

"You're still here?" Phasma said to Rey, taking off her helmet. She gave Ben a curious look. Ben looked away, pretending to be distracted by the monitors.

"I'm staying for dinner." Rey said.

'Gods, did she have to tell that to EVERYONE?' Ben thought to himself.

"REALLY? Well I hope the kitchens have a good meal prepared then." She said kindly to Rey.

"Are you enjoying your visit?" Phasma asked.

"I guess." Rey said, looking at Ben. He was avoiding everyone's gaze. She turned back to Phasma.

"I wanted to thank you again for the clothes. It really means a lot."

"You already thanked me once before." Phasma said, waving off the sentiment.

"I just.... I haven't been treated this way." Rey said nervously. "I've never had new clothes. Well, clothes that had never been worn by anyone else before..." Rey said, trailing off, beginning to feel embarrassed. No wonder Ben had Phasma buy her clothes. He was right. She would have been humiliated on Cantonica. Maybe.... No... He couldn't... Did Ben CARE about her?

"Never mind that." Phasma said, giving her a smile. Her blue eyes almost danced. "Here with the First Order, we have access to many fine things."

She gave Ben a knowing look and Ben glared at her briefly.

"Come on Rey." Ben said, lightly touching her arm to get her attention.

"Have a pleasant evening!" Phasma called to them as they left the control room.

They walked to another elevator, this time riding in silence. They seemed to travel for quite a ways. It wasn't until the doors opened that Rey realized why.

They were on the top floor of the Finalizer. It was a simple square area windowed on all four sides with metallic fences in the middle Rey approached the fences and looked down. She saw the expanse of the many floors below them, several troopers and officers marching past in varying directions on their respective floors.

"What place is this?" Rey asked Ben, turning from the fence.

"Just a vantage point. I come up here to think sometimes." Ben said, shrugging as he turned away from her and gazed out one of the large windows at the mass of stars and planets in the distance. The ship was still cruising at a slow pace around Cantonica.

Rey went to stand next to Ben at the window.

"Tell me something about yourself." Ben said, not looking at her.

"What do you want to know?" Rey answered.

"Your likes.... Dislikes...."

Rey almost laughed.

"I really wouldn't know. It's hard to have those when you're a scavenger. You take what you can get."

"Now that you're not on Jakku though." Ben said, turning his head slightly to look down at her.

Her face scrunched up adorably as she thought. Ben felt another tug at his lips as he stared.

"I suppose... I like fruit?"

"Any specifics?"

Rey shook her head.

"They're all good."

"You know, Hux is allergic to blackberries." Ben almost whispered to her. Rey giggled.

"It's true. It's the only fruit we can't have onboard." He told her, the corner of his lip continuing to twitch upwards.

"Interesting." Rey said. "Well, I suppose I also like flatcakes. They have them almost everyday for breakfast at the base on Hoth."

"Drinks?"

"WATER." Rey said, her eyes wide. "I will always love water."

"What about colors. Do you have a favorite color?"

"I feel a bit partial to blue at the moment." Rey said, looking down, afraid to look at him. "I suppose you like red?" She teased.

Ben smirked.

"Yes. I like red." He said. She lightly blushed.

"What about you?" She asked him, tucking a strand of stray hair behind her ear as she asked.

"My likes?" He asked. He sighed.

"I enjoy a hard clear tonic in the evenings. If I had to choose a food I'd say Bantha steak."

"And dessert?" Rey asked.

"Chocolate." Ben said, looking at her pointedly. Rey blushed again. "All kinds."

"What do you do for fun?"

"Fun?"

"Yes. Like, for entertainment. Do you go out with Hux and Phasma often?"

Ben shook his head.

"I like to be alone." He said, placing his hands behind his back.

Rey hung her head slightly.

"Oh."

"This has been nice though." He said quietly. Rey perked up at this.

Ben gently inched his hand towards hers as she fiddled with the hem of her sweater. He pulled it towards him, cupping her palm in his. Her eyes snapped to his, her eyes filled with curiosity and something else he couldn't place.

Her breath hitched in her throat. He was holding her hand! She hated when people held her hand. Especially without asking! But this was different. It wasn't intense or controlling, it was delicate and strong at the same time.

"Dinner should be ready soon." He said to her. Rey could only nod wordlessly as he led her to the elevator.


	15. Untouched

*inspired by 'Untouched' by The Veronicas*

Once they were inside the elevator, Ben peeled his hand away from hers. It pained him to do so, his stomach beginning to twist in knots on the ride down.

Rey kept her hand down at her side, leaving it free in case he chose to take it again. She briefly bit her bottom lip from nervousness as the elevator began to slow. Ben stepped out first. They were back on the floor with the suites, the halls quiet compared to the rest of the bustling cruiser.

"I paged the maintenance droid to have dinner delivered exactly at 19:00. I hope that's all right." Ben said as he entered in his pass code to his room. The door hissed open and Ben's face twisted in a frown. Rey's eyes lit up.

"Aw, it's so fancy!" Rey said as she entered the suite.

"Phasma...." Ben hissed, following Rey begrudgingly into his own quarters.

His simple kitchen table had been adored with a tablecloth and candles. The pink flowers had been moved from the counter next to the sink to the center of the table. The lighting of the room had been lightly dimmed.

"So you eat dinner like this every night?"

"No." Ben said, one of his hands balling into a fist. "It seems Phasma is enjoying your being here too much."

"I like her. She is very nice. Not at all how Finn painted her." Rey said as she approached the table.

Ben's manners kicked in and he took a large step forward, cutting her off and pulling out the nearest chair for her. She gave him a small smile and quickly sat down.

"Thank you." She told him.

"Phasma doesn't get along with many other females on board." Ben said, taking the seat opposite Rey. "She intimidates them too much."

"I don't find her intimidating at all." Rey said, admiring the tiny details on the handles of the chrome cutlery placed on the table.

"I think that's what I like about you."

"Excuse me?" Rey said, dropping the fork with a clatter.

"I said that's what she must like about you." Ben said hurriedly. 'Shit.' He needed to be careful about what he said.

"Oh." Rey said. She thought he had said that HE liked her. Her heart pounded wildly. Would that be a bad thing if he liked her? Did she want him to like her? Was it possible she liked him back?

Before when he was Kylo, he was cold and cruel. But that was just a shell he hid behind. Under the black mask and the façade, Ben Solo was very real. Broken down and lied to by Snoke, struggling with his families hidden past, he was still human.

Both she and Leia could sense the light in him, as dim as it was. It was no denying it was there. When he was Ben, Rey couldn't help but feel a pull towards him. There was an ease of being around him. A lack of fear. A weight of comfort when he was around, especially when he would speak so low and kindly to her. He did have dashing good looks, she had to admit. There was something about his long face and the way it angled at his brow, nose, and chin that gave off a regal appearance. His eyes could be very gentle when he wanted them to. Dark brown orbs of emotion that would stare deep into her own.

She was startled from her thoughts as the maintenance droid buzzed on the door and was allowed in to deliver dinner on two silver domed platters. The droid removed the lids of the platters revealing a grand spread. Rey's mouth watered at the sight. The droid quickly exited with a slight bow.

Rey dug into the food with vigor, eagerly slicing into the food on her plate. Ben ate his food at a slower pace, taking the time to savor his food.

"Do I need to order more?" He teased after a few minutes. Rey wiped at her mouth with a black napkin.

"There's more?" Rey asked incredulously.

"Of course there's more. I can order whatever I choose." Ben said. "This isn't Jakku, Rey. You can have as much of whatever you like when you're with me."

"Whatever I want?" She asked.

"Within reason." He said, his eyes slightly narrowing. She gulped down the rest of her water.

"... Can.... Can I order dessert?" She asked hesitantly. Ben gave a small smile and Rey blushed deeply.

"Of course." Ben said. He stood up briefly and walked to a panel next to the door and entered a sequence of numbers. He sat back down.

"It will be here shortly." He told her. Rey gave him a smile and she could swear he went pink.

About five minutes later the maintenance droid buzzed in and took away Rey's dinner tray and presented her with a smaller domed platter. Rey lifted the lid revealing a decadent slice of chocolate cake. Ben shooed the droid away, eyeing Rey carefully.

Rey licked her lips and took a finger and dragged it through the thick layer of frosting atop the slice of cake. She stuck her covered finger in her mouth and sucked off the frosting. Ben dropped his knife with a clatter. Rey ignored it, she was too busy indulging herself with the sweet treat in front of her.

"I can see why you like chocolate." Rey murmured as she licked the last piece of frosting off her finger. "It's delicious."

"My father used to bribe me with it all the time. For things like good behavior or sitting through all of my mothers political speeches. I would wipe my messy fingers on Chewie's fur. I don't think anyone ever noticed that actually."

Rey smiled warmly at Ben's story of his love for chocolate. She reached for the fork that lay next to the cake on the tray and dug in, almost moaning at how good the dessert tasted. Ben slightly cleared his throat, setting his silverware down on his plate and slightly pushing it away from him.

"Would you like some?" Rey asked him, the words slurred as she spoke around the forkful of cake in her mouth. Ben smirked.

"I can have some whenever I want. You enjoy yourself." He said. Rey smiled to herself and continued to devour the cake as Ben stood and went to the opposite side of his room, settling down on a small couch. He picked up a holo pad to occupy himself with while she ate.

When she had finished, she brushed the crumbs off her sweater with a napkin. She stood up and walked over to Ben. He stood up as she approached.

"Thank you for dinner." Rey said to Ben.

"Anytime." He replied.

"I suppose I should be going." Rey said, looking over her shoulder at the chronometer. She had been here nearly five hours, gone from the base for six. Ben cleared his throat.

"You... Uh..." Ben said, his lip twitching again.

"What?" Rey asked, turning her head back to him, cocking her head to the side at him as he examined her face.

"You've got..." Ben said, motioning to his own face with a finger. Rey blushed and wiped frantically at her mouth. Ben lightly sighed and reached for her face with his thumb extended. He smudged a whisp of chocolate frosting off the side of her cheek, causing Rey to shudder at his touch.

Ben eyed her as he raised his thumb to his mouth and licked the chocolate off his thumb. Rey bit her lip, her cheeks flushing bright red.

"Shall I escort you to your ship? Or would you rather I have Phasma take you?" Ben asked her quietly.

"I... Oh.... Um...." Rey stammered. Her mind swam. She smiled widely, unable to give him a proper answer.

"What?" It was Ben's turn to ask.

"You called it my ship."

"It is your ship."

"Before you said it wasn't. That it was still your father's."

"I think it deserves the title as your ship." Ben said decidedly. He extended a hand to her. Rey's heart pounded in her chest.

The last time he held a hand out to her like this was when she had rejected him aboard the Supremacy. Her eyes glanced up to study his face.

"Shall we?" He nearly whispered.

Rey reached her hand out, enveloping it in his tightly. She made sure to weave her fingers through his, the motion causing his eyes to widen with shock.

"Ben..." She whispered, taking a step towards him. It was there again. The pull to him. The want, no, the NEED to be close to him. Her mind screamed at her to fight it, but the voice was so hoarse and far away.

"Ben, I..." She said, her eyes fluttering to admire his lips. She was recalling their intimate distance, or lack thereof, from the gala on Cantonica. This feeling almost mimicked the other night perfectly.

Ben took a sharp breath and pulled Rey into him, her thin frame colliding with his firm chest. His eyes flickered over her face, reading her emotions with his eyes and with the Force.

His free hand threaded its way into her thick hair, pulling her face upwards towards him. Her body was tense but it almost instantly relaxed when his lips pressed against hers.

Rey's body relaxed as a strange sensation washed over her. His lips were soft, just like she had imagined. They were hungry for her own and she tried to match the push and pull of his motions. She let go of their entwined fingers and ran a hand up his chest, reaching up to tangle her hand into his mass of dark hair.

She felt them stumble backwards and the backs of her legs collided with the bed frame. She blinked rapidly from the jolt, pulling back slightly from Ben.

"Rey?" He asked, his eyes filled with lust and confusion.

"What are we doing?" She asked, breathing heavily. Her hands running back and forth across his broad shoulders.

"What does it look like we're doing?" He asked, his hand gripping at the loose fabric of her sweater at her hip.

"WHY are we doing this." Rey rephrased.

"Rey.... I've been going crazy since the moment I met you." Ben said breathlessly. He leaned his forehead down to met hers. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"But the Resistance... The First Order...." Rey said, her brow furrowing against his.

"Don't even think about what's right or wrong. Because in the end... It's only you and me."

"Ben..." Rey whispered, melting forward into his arms, her chest pressing against his.

"Right now you're the only thing that's making any sense to me. And I don't give a damn what they say. Or what they think. I'll never ever let you leave me. And I will never let you down." Ben pressed his lips to hers again, his hands tight around her waist.

"But Ben...." She mumbled against his lips, speaking between kisses. "You're the Supreme Leader... And I'm... I'm..."

"So what." He breathed as he began to trail kisses down her neck. She squeezed his shoulders under the euphoria of the sensation. He lifted his head to gaze deeply in her eyes.

"Don't even talk about the consequences. Rey.... I want you so much. I just can't resist you." He said, one of his hands raising to brush against her freckled face.

Rey reached up to his face as well, letting her fingers delicately trace the scar that she had given him.

Her heart was pounding. Her mind had finally stopped screaming at her. She looked in his eyes and she saw herself reflected in a pool of dark brown. His eyes pleaded to her. They spoke volumes that only she could hear. They said all the words his mouth could not. She needn't use the Force to look inside his mind in his moment. She could feel this was the truth. Both hers and his.

"I need you so much somehow." She found herself whispered to him. "I need you so much." She repeated.

She pulled on his shoulders, tumbling backwards onto the bed and taking Ben with her. Their lips locked in what felt like a never ending passion. Ben's tongue begged for access and she obliged. He moaned, the aftertaste of chocolate was heavy on her tongue.

He wanted more. More. MORE! He raised his head and straightened in a huff, Rey straddled between his knees. He unbuckled his jacket, tossing both the jacket and belt aside. He removed the solid black tank he wore underneath his jacket, revealing his toned abs that heaved as he breathed quickly. Rey's eyes danced over his bare chest, biting her lip.

"I knew you liked it when you saw me like this before." He taunted her.

"Yeah, but those pants though...." She retorted.

"They're for protection." Ben said defensively.

"Umm... Speaking of...." Rey said from under Ben, her face glowing red.

"Kriff.... Uh..." Ben said, running a hand through his hair. He leaned over her, reaching towards his bedside table. She giggled as his pecs were dangerously close to her face as he rummaged around for a minute before withdrawing with a small piece of foil in his hand.

"I feel sort of offended you have those on hand." Rey said.

"They're in every room. You asked earlier what we do for fun. Some of the troopers choose physical activity as their entertainment." Ben said, raising an eyebrow to her in a seductively teasing manner.

"I'm glad I asked." She replied sarcastically.

She leaned up and met his lips with her own this time, drawing him back down to the bed for a few minutes before he began to struggle with removing her bra from underneath her sweater. That damned boob trap.

Ben leaned back as she sat up and removed her sweater. His mouth fell open slightly and he swiftly shut it as Rey easily removed her bra, revealing her pert pink breasts to him. He leaned her back gently on the bed, one hand cupping at one freed breast, the other he raised to his mouth - instinctively suckling at nipping at her ripe nipple.

Rey leaned her head back in ecstasy and moaned, gripping her hands into Ben's hair. She could feel his arousal throbbing at her thigh. Her moans were driving him wild.

"Rey... I can't wait anymore." He breathed heavily to her. Rey nodded and they both kicked off their respective pants. Ben gave a smirk when he realized Rey had been wearing red silk panties under her dark gray leggings this whole time. His favorite color.

"I like this." Ben said of the under garment as he pulled the soft fabric away.

Rey bit her lip again nervously as Ben slid the protection over his long member. She gasped and moaned loudly at his entrance into her. Their lips met once again, never seeming to part as Ben thrust deeply inside her. Rey cried out to him to give her all he had, pleading for more.

"You are mine now." He grunted into her ear as he neared his limit. She let out an intense moan, her eyes fluttering as they climaxed together.

"I am yours." She whispered back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, they had sex. Yes, it all happened very fast. Yes, they used protection this time (you're welcome). It's all part of the pacing of the story. We're nearing the end of the story so there are just certain aspects that have to happen quickly to get to the good stuff. Well.... The good stuff that isn't smut. ;)


	16. Dirty Little Secret

*briefly inspired by 'Dirty Little Secret' by The All-American Rejects*

Finn walked down the white hall that led to the hangers. He wanted to apologize to Rey. Needed to, really. He had let his anger get the best of him. But Rey was his friend, one of his first since he escaped the First Order. He didn't want to see her get hurt. He knew he had to trust her. Not only her, he also had to trust that Leia knew what she was doing. Sending Rey off to the Finalizer to gather intel using her Force abilities was dangerous. Especially with Kylo Ren as the Supreme Leader.

Finn rounded the corner and into the hanger, stopping dead in his tracks.

The Falcon hadn't returned. It's usual parking spot bare save for a crate of spare parts and an oil tarp.

Finn hurried over to Poe's X-Wing. He hefted himself up the ladder, seeing Poe fast asleep in the cockpit, his head leaning heavily on his shoulder. Finn rapped loudly on the window with his knuckles. Poe woke up with a jolt and wiped the drool from the side of his chin. Poe raised the window of the fighter, BB-8 emitting a soft mewl as he woke from sleep mode.

"Hey buddy. Good morning." Poe said, stretching.

"Not good morning." Finn said, clearly upset. "Where's Rey?"

"She never came back?" Poe said, looking around the hanger. "Hmm." He remarked. He didn't seem as bothered as Finn.

"We need to send out a ship to the Finalizer immediately." Finn said, looking around the hanger in a panic.

"Finn, relax." Poe said to Finn, laying a hand on Finn's shoulder. "Leia never would have sent her if she didn't think her capable of this task."

"But you don't know the First Order like I do." Finn complained for the thousandth time. Poe sighed.

"I know." Poe said. "You've just got to trust the General on this one, all right? Look." He reached in his pocket and pulled out the tracking device Leia had previously given Rey.

"We're tracking her again?" Finn asked, breathing a small sigh of relief.

"It worked last time, didn't it?" Poe said, pocketing the tracker once again. "Listen, Rey will be fine. She will find out the truth."

Finn nodded, recalling some of Han's first words to him back on the Millennium Falcon. That women always figure things out. ALWAYS.

"Rey knows to activate it if she's in trouble." Poe continued. "Besides, she's a big girl. She knows what she's doing."

xXx

Rey woke up slowly, shifting to her side and pulling the covers up to her chin. The bed was warm, a pleasant sensation compared to the past nights of frigid temperatures that she had endured. She stretched her legs under the covers, recoiling them almost instantly as her toes brushed against something warm and slightly hairy. A leg that was not her own.

Her eyes widened as she sat upright in the bed. That's right. Ben.

It was all coming back to her. She squeezed her eyes shut as she mentally scolded herself.

She had sex with Ben. Her first time, too. She recalled how after they had finished, Ben had wordlessly gotten up from the bed, cleaned himself off and tossed her a black thermal shirt as he readied for bed. Rey glanced down at herself. She was still dressed in it. She pulled the collar away from her neck and lightly sniffed it. It smelled like him and she found herself smiling to herself.

She glanced over at Bens' sleeping figure in the bed. He was quite the heavy sleeper. She peeked over at his face, biting her lip to keep from giggling.

His face looked sad, even as he slept. His brow furrowed and his mouth hung slightly open, a hint of stubble upon his chin. He looked so handsome, Rey found herself thinking.

She bit her lip again, thinking back of his strong muscles that had held her so tight to him as their bodies moved together last night. Barely a word had been spoken between the two, but there had been a change in the Force. Their force. An unspoken bond she could feel pressing at her mind and heart.

She briefly recalled him telling her that she was now his, and she had agreed without hesitation. Was it possible he loved her and she loved him?

Love was a feeling she never experienced before. Maybe back when she was little, before her parents abandoned her? Even thinking back to her earliest memories, she never recalled feeling like this before. This feeling of want, of need, of belonging.

Gods, she did love him, didn't she?

'Rey, what are you doing?' She thought to herself. She was sent here to snoop around the Finalizer. Locate any attack plans. Not to fall in love with Ben Solo. General Organa's son. The Supreme Leader of the First Order. He probably didn't even love her back. It was probably just a night of passion for him. Him, unable to control his primal urges. Her, a warm body.

Still, she couldn't shake the way he looked at her. The way he touched her. The way he had claimed her as his own.

There was a buzz at the door and the maintenance droid quickly entered, not even acknowledging her presence. It went straight away to removing the remaining dishes from last nights meal. As the droid was starting a pot of caf in the kitchen, Rey swung her legs over the side of the bed and rummaged on the floor for her leggings and gray sweater. She wrapped the sweater around the thermal shirt like a belt, running a hand through her messy hair to try to manage the tangles.

As the droid was exiting the room, Rey slipped out behind it. She looked up both directions of the hallway, choosing to walk in the opposite direction of the maintenance droid. She passed by several other doors, following the winding hall until she found a service elevator.

She buzzed at the panel for the elevator and the doors graciously opened for her. She stepped inside the empty elevator and the doors slowly shut behind her. She turned her attention to the panel next to the doors. She entered in a series of numbers, trying to match the code she had seen Ben enter the other day. The panel beeped angrily at her, flashing red before resetting. Rey frowned. Maybe the codes changed daily? She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to feel the answers to the panel through the Force. She had achieved this back when she saved Finn from the Rathtars by sensing which was the right button to push.

Before she had a chance to discover the code, the doors the elevator opened and Rey jumped, startled.

"Oh! Good morning Rey. I did not realize you were still here." Phasma said to Rey from underneath her large chrome helmet.

"Phasma!" Rey breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing?" Phasma asked her as the elevator doors closed once again.

"I was trying to find my way to the hanger..." Rey said. "But I don't know how these work." She said, pointing to the panel.

"I can help you with that." Phasma said, reaching over and entering in the code for the hanger.

"Did the Supreme Leader not give you a set of codes to use during your stay?" She asked of Rey. Rey shook her head as the panel chimed and the elevator began to move.

"Thank you." Rey said to Phasma. Phasma turned her head from Rey and the two rode the elevator down.

"Did you enjoy your dinner with the Supreme Leader?" Phasma asked. Rey blushed.

"It was lovely. Though he did not care for your meddling." She admitted.

"Meddling?" Phasma scoffed. "I wouldn't necessarily call it meddling..."

Rey giggled. The elevator doors opened and Rey exited, Phasma staying behind in the elevator.

"Thanks again." Rey said to Phasma, giving a small wave to her as the doors closed. Rey headed back to the Falcon, a trio of passing Stormtroopers staring after her. This caused Rey to hurry up her pace as she opened the ramp to the ship and climbed aboard.

xXx

Ben woke up to the smell of the a fresh pot of caf ready in the kitchen. He turned and found his bed empty. Normally a usual sight, but after last night - he was confused by Rey's sudden disappearance. He looked at the chronometer on his bedside table. He had overslept. No doubt he had forgotten to set an alarm. He hurried and jumped into the shower in his refresher, scrambling afterwards to dress himself in his usual garb of pants, boots, and his slightly armored jacket.

There was a buzz at the door and Ben ignored it, assuming it was the maintenance droid to pester about breakfast. The door buzzed again and Ben huffed, annoyed. He walked towards the door, activating the panel to open it.

"Phasma." Ben said curtly, tugging his jacket into place, hastily fastening the belt.

"Good morning Supreme Leader." Phasma said. "I trust you slept well?"

"Mmm." Ben grunted. "I overslept." He said, turning from her and entering his kitchen to pour a cup of caf.

"Have you seen Rey?" He asked her.

"As a matter of fact, I have." Phasma reported. Ben tried to not to show any emotion at all as he sipped his morning drink. "She was in the elevator, trying to make her way to the hanger."

"The hanger?" Ben repeated. Oh no. Was she leaving?

"Yes. Why? Is something the matter?" Phasma pressed. "Did you two have an argument?"

"No." Ben said rudely. Phasma's eyes flicked to the dinner table, still dressed from the night before. Her gaze traveled to Ben's bed and she took careful note of the way the bed sheets were tousled.

"You DIDN'T." Phasma said to him incredulously.

"What?" Ben said, sipping his coffee.

"Ben Solo!" Phasma scolded.

"Do not call me that!" Ben barked at Phasma. "Only SHE can use that name!"

"Oh really? Did she use that name in bed last night?" Phasma retorted. Ben turned red from embarrassment and anger.

"That is none of your business." He snapped.

"Supreme Leader, this game of yours has gone on far too long. She is a nice girl. She didn't need to be defiled by you for the sake of winning."

"That had nothing to do with it." Ben said, setting down his cup and moving past Phasma to exit his room.

"So you have real feelings for her now, do you?" Phasma said, following him out of the room as he angrily stomped down the hall.

"I told you this wasn't going to end well." She said after him as he approached the elevators. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you!" She called to him as he entered the elevators.

Ben clenched and unclenched his fists as he rode the elevator down to the hangers. What did Phasma know? She didn't know the terms of the bet. She didn't know Rey like he did. He was the Supreme Leader. He would make sure she never found out about the bet.

Ben approached the Falcon, his stomach twisting in knots at the sight. At least she was still here. He stomped up the ramp, the landing pods shuddering from the impact of his boots.

"Rey?" He called into the ship. No response.

"Rey?" He called again. A door hissed open and Rey emerged from a side room, her hair damp and freshly washed.

"Ben." She said, her cheeks growing pink at the sight of him. Ben breathed a sigh of relief to himself.

"What are you doing here? Why did you leave?" He asked her.

"I needed to use the refresher and get a change of clothes." Rey said like it was no big deal. He didn't need to know she was trying to snoop.

"You could have used my refresher." Ben said.

Rey blushed.

"I didn't want to impose..." Rey said, trailing off.

"Nonsense." Ben said, shaking his head. "As long as you are in my presence, you can have whatever you desire."

"Within reason." Rey teased. Ben smirked.

"Yes. Within reason." He repeated.

"Then I want my own set of elevator codes. No restricted access." She said, hands on her hips. Ben raised an eyebrow at her.

"Fine. I'll give you a set of codes. Restricted access."

"No restricted access." Rey challenged.

"I said within reason." He reminded her. Rey frowned.

"But what about how you said I am yours?" She said, taking a step towards Ben. "Last night?"

"That doesn't mean you get free reign of the cruiser." Ben said.

"But you're the Supreme Leader. And I'm ... your....?"

Dare she say it? She was going to anyways.

"Girlfriend?"

Ben flushed pink and rubbed nervously at the back of his neck.

"If that is what you would like to be referred to." Ben replied.

"I don't see what else I'd be." Rey said.

Ben closed the distance between himself and Rey, reaching out a hand to her chin and tilting it upwards.

"You may have limited restrictions then." Ben countered. Rey smiled up at him, her eyes giddy with delight. Ben raised her chin to his, kissing her softly. Her damp hair brushed his cheek as she pulled his face closer to hers, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist.

Hux stood in the command center for the hanger, glaring daggers at the metal filth of a ship that sat in the hanger. The Supreme Leader had entered it not too long ago, chasing after the scavenger no doubt. He did not like her hanging around his cruiser. He did not like her hanging around the Supreme Leader. She had to be disposed of. How else was he going to win his bet?

Phasma entered the station, her metallic boots clanking on the floor as she approached him.

"General." Phasma greeted him. Hux gave her a curt nod and turned his gaze back to glaring at the Falcon.

"I assume the criminal will finally be taking her leave?" Hux asked Phasma.

"Not exactly, sir." Phasma said, turning her gaze to match Hux's. "I'm afraid you'll be seeing her around for a little while longer."

Hux's eyes narrowed as he viewed the Supreme Leader exit the ship, the scavenger quick at his heels.

"It seems your bet might be coming to an end." Phasma reported.

"We will see about that." Hux said, turning on his heel and exiting the station.


	17. Shark In The Water

*briefly inspired by 'Shark In The Water' by V. V. Brown*

"Are you hungry?" Ben asked Rey, his arms sliding back from around her waist. Rey nodded.

"Very." She said.

"Let me find you some breakfast. In the meantime, I can retrieve a set of access codes for you."

He quickly turned and exited the Falcon, Rey close behind.

As they approached the hanger elevators, Hux stepped out from a hallway in front of them.

"Good morning Supreme Leader." Hux said smugly to Ben, ignoring Rey completely.

"General." Ben replied curtly.

"Do not forget about your meeting with the Guavians today. It is of utmost importance you do not keep them waiting."

"Right." Ben said, giving a brief nod. "General, secure Rey with a set of access codes."

Hux's mouth fell open and he swiftly snapped it shut before heatedly glaring at Rey.

"Surely you are tooling with me Supreme Leader." He said, turning his attention back to Ben.

"Does it look like I am tooling with you?" Ben responded. Rey stifled a giggle. Hux frowned deeply.

"But... Supreme Leader..." Hux protested.

"We will be in the dining hall. Excuse us." Ben said, making an effort to shove past Hux even though there was clearly enough room between the General and the elevator.

Hux fumed at the couple as the elevator doors closed behind them. She would get her access codes all right. No doubt about that.

"Must you annoy him so?" Rey asked Ben as they traveled upwards in the elevator. She reached over for his hand, entwining her fingers with his. Ben look down at her actions, the corner of his lip turning upwards.

"He deserves it." Ben said, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I thought you were friends." Rey said.

"Far from it. He has always challenged my authority, even before I became Supreme Leader. We merely tolerate each other for the sake of business."

"Barely." Rey commented.

The elevator doors opened and Ben let go of Rey's hand. He instead guided her with a gentle hand on her lower back down a hallway towards some of the most delicious smells Rey had ever experienced.

"Why don't you ever eat down here?" Rey asked as they entered the dining hall. It was filled with long metallic tables and benches. A scattered amount of troopers and officers finishing up their meals gave Ben and Rey awkward looks.

"As I said before. I prefer to keep to myself." Ben said.

He ordered Rey a large stack of flatcakes. These ones were much more fluffier than the ones back on Hoth. They even came drenched in a bronze liquid that was sugary and sweet.

As Rey devoured her flatcakes and drank a strange orange drink, Hux entered the dining hall.

"The access codes, Supreme Leader." Hux sneered, handing Ben a small holo chip. Ben took the chip and handed it to Rey. Hux continued to glower.

"Thank you." Rey said to Ben.

"The meeting, Supreme Leader." Hux reminded Ben.

"Of course."

Ben stood up from the bench and Rey looked up at him.

"You're leaving?"

"I will return." Ben said. "If you need anything, just find Phasma."

Rey nodded and gave Ben a small smile as he followed Hux from the dining area.

Rey hurriedly finished her breakfast, ignoring the curious looks from the troopers remaining in the hall.

She quickly left the hall, holding tightly onto the chip Ben had given her. She smiled, looking down at it.

She entered the closest elevator and activated the chip next to the panel inside. A code was brought up on the panel and Rey punched in the corresponding buttons. The panel turned green and began to move.

All she had to do now was figure out what the First Order was up to. She hoped it was nothing. Gods, she hoped she would find nothing.

As unexpected and exciting the events from last night were, Rey still had a mission. She wanted desperately to believe Ben. And even if she believed him, there was still the entire Resistance to convince.

The elevator opened into a busy but familiar hallways. Rey had learned to ignore the curious stares of the troopers, holding her head high as she walked past. They usually traveled in groups, some as large as eight and as small as three.

Rey made her way down the hall, retracing the many paths Ben had taken her down during the tour the other day. She found herself approaching the control room, her heart thumping from excitement and nervousness.

Luckily the door was wide open. Four troopers stood at monitors, tapping away at keyboards. Phasma sat higher up in front of the largest monitor which focused on the hanger. Rey could see the Falcon, parked in the corner. Ben's command shuttle was departing.

"You may come in dear." Phasma said from her seat, without turning around.

Rey blushed and stepped in the control room from the doorway. The troopers gave each other looks. At least that's what she assumed they were doing. She couldn't tell with their helmets on.

"Was your breakfast to your liking?" Phasma asked lightly.

"Yes." Rey said. "How did you know I had breakfast?"

"I see everything on board." Phasma said, motioning to the monitors with a chrome gloved hand.

Rey blushed.

"Almost everything." Phasma rephrased at Rey's reaction.

"You know about... that?"

"Don't be embarrassed." Phasma said. "It was bound to happen. I've seen the way he looks at you."

Rey blushed harder.

"And I see the Supreme Leader has provided you with your own set of codes." Phasma said, nodding the to chip in Rey's hands.

"He did." She said, smiling to herself.

"Hux isn't exactly pleased you're here." Phasma warned her.

"He makes that well known." Rey agreed with a light laugh.

A trooper entered through the doorway, saluting to Phasma.

"Captain, Officer Unamo is requesting your presence up on the command bridge." the trooper announced. Phasma nodded.

"Excuse me." She said to Rey, standing up and clanking down the steps and out of the control room followed by two of the other troopers.

Rey stared after her, the remaining two troopers paying her no attention. Rey pocketed the chip and turned towards the troopers. She concentrated on their feeble tasked minds. She did this once before. She hoped she could do it again.

"You will leave this room and go back to your barracks." She ordered the troopers.

The troopers paused in their typing. They looked at each other.

Had it not worked? Rey worried.

"We will leave this room and go back to our barracks." The troopers announced in a monotone unison. They turned and walked out of the room. Rey hurried down the steps and used her access code to seal the door.

She went back up to the main control panel. The monitor showed the two troopers she had dismissed walking up the hallway and out of sight.

She began to type quickly on the computer, trying to find access to anything she could.

She found a file of blueprints, but none of them were for anything new or unexpected. Maps of the various cruisers in the First Order's fleet, the Starkiller Base shield system, etc.

Rey pressed her lips together as she scanned the other contents of the main computer. A file of recent invoices caught her eye and she pressed a button on the keyboard, opening its contents.

A purchase for several calcinators as well as several gallons of ethylene glycol. Rey frowned. What would the First Order want with calcinators and a deicing agent? Shouldn't their ships already be protected enough against cold weather? Considering Starkiller Base was covered with snow, they ought to be well prepped for such elements.

And then it clicked. Rey pushed the chair back from the control panel and whirled towards the stairs. She ran to the access panel but the chip kept beeping and declining with flashes of red lights. Rey grit her teeth and held her hand out towards the panel, focusing her mind on it to try to manipulate it with the Force to open.

She was startled when on her first try the door opened with a hiss. Her surprise quickly turned to dread when General Hux strode in the room with two of the Knights of Ren.

"Hux!" Rey said, trying not to seem alarmed. The Knights widened their stance, blocking the doorway.

"What do we have here?" Hux said, circling her as she stood, still clutching the access chip in her hand.

"Snooping around in the First Order's classified documents?" He said, gazing over the open files on the monitor screen.

"I knew you were up to no good. Why else would you require access codes?" Hux said, snatching the chip out her hand and snapping it in his fist. Pieces of broken metal sprinkled to the floor from his hand, being crunched as he walked over them.

"I'm the Supreme Leader's guest, that's why." Rey told him.

"You mean nothing to him." Hux spat at her. "You're nothing but a pawn in this war against the Resistance."

"I know you're planning on invading Hoth." Rey told him. "How could you do this? The Resistance agreed to your terms. The surrender."

"This is the Supreme Leaders doing. He was the one that agreed to the bet."

"Bet? What bet?" Rey asked, her eyes narrowing at Hux.

"I bet the Supreme Leader that he couldn't get the poor scavenger girl into thinking we surrendered." Hux continued his circling.

"You really thought we had surrendered, didn't you?"

Rey frowned.

"You did?" Hux grinned evilly. "How sweet."

He snapped his fingers towards the Knights in the doorway.

"Cuff her." He ordered.


	18. Code 3208

"Cuff her." Hux ordered the Knights of Ren.

Rey clenched her fists in anger but stood firm as the two Knights proceeded to step towards her. She voluntarily held out her wrists to them, allowing herself to be shackled in the Force constricting bindings from before.

"Good. Good." Hux murmured at her compliance. Rey sneered at him as each of the Knights took a tight hold of her upper arms.

"Take her to the cells." Hux snapped at the Knights.

"When the Resistance gets here, you're going to regret it." Rey spat at Hux.

"Silly girl. They won't even have a chance." Hux laughed at her.

"Are you sure about that?" Rey asked, smirking at the General. She turned her hand in one of the shackles, revealing an open palm with a blinking red binary beacon inside.

xXx

Poe, Finn, and Rose were relaxing in the hanger on Hoth. It was a cold day as usual, but no blustery storms raged outside. Poe lounged in the seat of his X-Wing, legs swung over the open cockpit, arm behind his head, the other one clutching a large sandwich Rose had brought the boys from the kitchens.

"When do you think she will be back?" Rose asked Finn. Finn shook his head at her. He stared down at the sandwich in his hand, feeling unable to eat.

"You need to eat Finn." Rose said to him, reaching a hand over to him and placing it gently on his knee. He looked up at her, her round face smiling at him. She was trying to be encouraging, but Finn couldn't shake the sense of dread he had been feeling for the last several days.

BB-8 beeped curiously at Poe who shrugged his shoulders and chewed a large bite of his lunch.

"I don't hear anything." Poe mumbled with a full mouth to the droid.

"He's right." Rose said, standing up and looking around. "I hear it too."

A faint blip could be heard beeping close by.

Rose hurried over to the nearest ComLink set up, tapping a couple of keys on the keyboard. She shook her head.

"Nothing." She said, her eyes furrowing in confusion.

Finn stood up, his ears straining to detect the direction of the sound. His head jerked towards the X-Wing. He scrambled up the ladder to the cockpit, reaching over and snatching the sandwich from Poe's hand, throwing it to the ground.

"Hey! I wasn't finished with that!" Poe said to Finn. Finn frisked Poe's front jacket pocket, revealing the other half of the homing beacon. It was now flashing an angry red, beeping with every blink of light.

"Rey will be fine, huh?" Finn mocked to Poe, clutching the beacon in his fist. Poe straightened his jacket and reached for his helmet.

"Well, she's been fine up until now." Poe said, clamping the helmet on his head. "Tell the General. It's time." He said, starting up his fighter.

xXx

Hux's jaw clenched at the sight of the homing beacon. That little tramp! Alerting the Resistance! His plans ruined!

Hux snatched the beacon out of the scavengers palm and chucked it to the floor, crushing it with the heel of his boot. He whipped off one of his gloves and hurled his bare hand square across the unsuspecting face of the wretched criminal. Her head snapped to the side forcefully, a choked gasp escaping her mouth at the impact.

"To the cells with her." Hux demanded of the Knights, tugging his glove back on over his stinging hand.

"Yes, General." One of the Knights replied from under their mask.

Hux glared as the girl was dragged off towards the elevator. Nevertheless, the First Order would prevail in their attack. The Resistance was still understaffed and unprepared for a battle with such short notice. The attack on Hoth would commence as planned. This was just a mere hiccup in his grand scheme to take back the First Order. He would succeed. He had no doubts in his mind.

He stalked his way to the command bridge, his hand still tingling from his brief assault on the girl. He swelled with a rush of adrenaline. The power. He could feel it. It was almost his. All of it.

Captain Phasma was speaking with Officer Unamo. Their attention was drawn to him as soon as he strode in the room.

"Phasma!" Hux barked. "When is the Supreme Leader due back from his meeting with the Guavians?"

"He should be back within the hour General." Phasma replied. "Do you require his presence upon his arrival?"

"Not exactly." Hux said, his eyes gleaming with strife.

Captain Phasma stood with two armed Officers as the shuttle landed directly next to the Falcon inside the hanger.

The front ramp extended and Ben emerged, looking bored and annoyed.

"Afternoon, Supreme Leader." Phasma greeted him. "I trust your meeting with the Guavians was well?"

"As usual. I've secured the next wave of their shipments to be delivered by the end of the week."

He looked around the hanger. He was excited to be back to see Rey, but she had not come down to the hanger for his arrival.

"Where is Rey?" Ben asked Phasma.

"Would you like me to take you to her?" Phasma asked, her voice odd from beneath her helmet.

Before Ben had a chance where to ask where she was, Phasma lashed out with her spear and whacked Ben upside the head. He tumbled to the floor from the blow. The armed Officers rushed forward with ignited stunners, shocking him as his hand reached up to attack using the Force. He immediately began to lose consciousness, his eyesight blurring as Phasma loomed above him.

"Sorry about this." Phasma said quietly as she leaned down and grabbed for one of Ben's forearms. She dragged him upwards as the Officers quickly hurried forward with the Force concealing restraints.

xXx

Rey sat in the corner of the cell, trying not to cry. She had alerted the Resistance. She knew they had received her distress call. She could feel it. But when would they come? Were they already on their way? Could they make it to her without being taken out by the First Order?

She briefly wondered where Ben was. Was he okay?

"No!" She said to herself angrily. No! Don't think about him! He betrayed you! He betrayed the Resistance! There probably had been no meeting with the Guavians. He was the probably the one who had ordered Hux to lock her up down here in the belly of the cruiser.

She stretched her jaw, trying to relieve some of the pain she still felt from Hux hitting her. That side of her face stung and felt slightly swollen. She held her wrists up to her face and let the cool metal of the cuffs rest on her cheek to cool the painful sensation.

After what felt like hours, there was a scuffle outside the entrance to the cells and the door hissed open. Two troopers entered, dragging an unconscious figure clad in black. Rey's eyes snapped up at the familiar clank of metal that followed after the troopers.

"Phasma!" Rey said, scrambling to her feet as best as she could with her cuffed hands. Phasma turned her head towards her briefly before turning her attention back to the troopers.

"Alert Hux when he wakes." Phasma said to the troopers.

"Yes Captain." The troopers said as the figure was pulled into the cell adjacent from Rey's.

"Phasma!" Rey said again, approaching the bars of the cell.

"Shut up, Rebel scum!" One of the Officers snapped, brandishing an electric baton at her. Rey backed up quickly from the bars. Her eyes searched for Phasma's gaze, but the Captain hastily left the cells without any further acknowledgement.

Once the door shut behind them, Rey fell back to the floor and let the tears flow freely. Phasma now too? She should have known. Had everything been a lie? She began to feel like her entire life was a lie. The lie that her parents would return. The lie that she meant something to them. Believing she could make a difference in the world fighting with the Resistance but failing miserably. Bringing nothing but danger and more deaths to those close to her. How many lives would be lost now in the pursuit of her rescue?

xXx

"Supreme Leader." Phasma said cooly to Hux upon her return to the command bridge. "Would you like me to report to the Resistance on your behalf?"

Hux smirked smugly at being referred to as Supreme Leader. Yes. Phasma would do fine as his second in command. After all, she had agreed without hesitation to subduing Kylo Ren following his return to the Finalizer. He had his doubts about her, but she was quickly proving her worth within his new regime.

"Of course Phasma." Hux said, squaring his shoulder and raising his chin regally. "I must be boarding the shuttle for our descent to Hoth." He said. He waved her off. "Carry on." He said as he turned and stalked off the bridge.

"Unamo! Where is that cape I requested?" He snapped.

"Coming Supreme Leader." Officer Unamo said, quickly trailing after Hux with an armful of silk black fabric.

Phasma turned to Officer Thanisson, nodding to him to begin a transmission.

"This is Captain Phasma with the First Order. Kylo Ren is no longer the reigning Supreme Leader. You will now obey the orders and commands of Supreme Leader Hux. The terms of previous surrender are null and void beginning immediately. Failure to comply to the new Supreme Leader will result in a complete annihilation of your base, code 3208 of the First Order."

Phasma turned to Thanisson again. With a nod, he sent the transmission to the Resistance Base on Hoth

xXx

The hanger had turned into a bustling hub of shouts and chaos as the Resistance prepped their fleet to depart for the Finalizer.

"We have no choice but to assume the First Order will be expecting us." Leia said to her pilots as they gathered in a small group in front of her in the middle of the hanger.

"We must be prepared. We must be vigilant. And most of all, we must have hope. May the Force be with us." She said. The pilots scrambled to their fighters, all except for Poe.

"You need to be safe General." Poe said to her. Leia smiled to him.

"I will be fine in my shuttle." Leia said to Poe. "You need to go and save Rey." She patted his arm and Poe nodded, giving a small smile in return.

"General? We just received an incoming message from the First Order." Connix said, coming up to Leia and Poe.

Leia's brow furrowed and she followed Connix over to the ComLinks where Rose and Finn were already hovering. Connix activated the transmission, a holo projection of Captain Phasma appearing on the monitor.

"This is Captain Phasma with the First Order. Kylo Ren is no longer the reigning Supreme Leader. You will now obey the orders and commands of Supreme Leader Hux. The terms of previous surrender are null and void beginning immediately. Failure to comply to the new Supreme Leader will result in a complete annihilation of your base, code 3208 of the First Order."

"So it WAS a false surrender!" Leia said, her eyes narrowing. "Just as we suspected. Good girl Rey."

"Yeah, but what happened to Kylo Ren?" Poe asked. Leia frowned and shook her head in confusion.

"Something isn't right." Finn said, stepping forward. "Play it again." He asked Connix. She played the transmission again.

"---- Failure to comply to the new Supreme Leader will result in a complete annihilation of your base, code 3208 of the First Order."

"There!" Finn shouted, startling the group.

"Code 3208?" Rose asked. "What's that?"

"There is no such thing as a code 3208 within the First Order." Finn said to them.

"Maybe it's something Hux came up with." Poe said. Finn shook his head adamantly.

"He's not that clever." He said. "Those numbers are familiar though, I just can't remember what.... Play it one more time."

Connix played the transmission once again.

"---- Code 3208 of the First Order."

"Is it a launch code?" Poe asked. "Maybe a Trooper identification?"

"No, no. That's not it...." Finn paced back and forth, muttering to himself as he tried to remember the importance of the numbers Phasma listed.

"Finn, I've got to get going." Poe said, turning and indicating to his waiting X-Wing.

"I've got it!" Finn shouted. The group leaned in with anticipation.

"It's the cellblock level of the Finalizer!" His face contorted as he put the pieces together.

"They've got Rey locked up!" He announced. "That bastard!"

"If they've got her locked up, why would Phasma tell us where she is?" Rose wondered aloud.

Finn looked at Rose, stunned at her revelation. Poe's face broke into a wide grin.

"Guys, I think we've got some help on the inside. Come on, let's go!"


	19. All Of Me

*briefly inspired by 'All Of Me' by John Legend*

"What if this is a trap?" Finn said, grabbing Poe's arm to stop him as he went to run towards his fighter.

"For goodness sake, Finn. Are you ever positive about anything?" Leia scolded as she brushed past the men on her way to her shuttle.

"She's right, you know." Poe said to Finn. Finn blushed, feeling embarrassed. He dropped Poe's arm.

"All right. Let's go." He said.

xXx

Ben came to, groaning as he rolled over on the cold and hard floor beneath him. His eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of his surroundings, soon discovering he was in a holding cell.

His head was throbbing. He went to raise his hand to the back of his head and found his wrists bound with metal cuffs. He grunted as he tried to break free of the restraints. His grunts turned to a half cry of frustration and pain as a searing heat shot through his arms. His Force was contained and he felt helpless. He felt angry. And most of all, he felt worried. For Rey.

He had no idea what was going on. He remembered returning from the meeting with the Guavians when Phasma and two troopers attacked him. His brow furrowed at Phasma's actions. So much for her loyalty to him. Hux probably put her up to it. He was half surprised he hadn't woken up to Hux standing over him gloating. What was that ginger haired bastard up to?

A sniffle caught his attention and his head whipped up, staring past the bars of his cell. He squinted into the adjacent cell, scrambling to his feet.

"Rey?"

"Ben?"

"REY!" He cried, shuffling to the cell bars.

Rey's face came into view, a shadow cast in her eyes. Her face was puffy from crying, a red welt raised on her left cheek. Ben's eyes narrowed.

"You're hurt. Who hit you? Was it Hux? Are you all right?" He asked in succession, his mind running a mile a minute.

Rey just stared at him, her lower lip trembling.

"Rey?" He asked, leaning against the cell bars for support - still woozy from his assault.

"Am I a bet?" Rey whispered.

"What?" Ben asked, startled by her words.

"Am I a bet?" Rey asked again, louder this time. "AM I A BET? HAS ALL OF THIS BEEN A FUCKING BET????" Rey shouted at him angrily, her teeth gnashing with every word.

So she knew. Of course she knew. She wouldn't be down here if she didn't.

"Rey.... I..." Ben stuttered, his eyes looking down away from her intense shameful eyes.

"TELL ME THE TRUTH!" She shouted, gulping down a sob.

The air was thick as an awkward silence momentarily drifted through the room.

"Yes." Ben answered, his head hung low. Dare he look up at her? He did. Tears streamed silently down her face, her face a mixture of hurt and disappointment. His heart felt heavy at the sight.

"How could you...." She whispered, sniffling. She raised her wrists and wiped at her eyes with her arms since her hands were also bound. "Why?"

"Because.... Because I was being selfish."

Rey scoffed.

"I didn't intend for you to find out."

"Oh, I'm sure you didn't." Rey lashed out acidly.

"It was a foolish decision." Ben admitted.

"That's an understatement." Rey continued to sass. Ben's eyes narrowed at her through his cell bars.

"I made that bet to save you." He snapped. "Hux knew I was angry with you following what happened on Crait. He taunted me and I wanted to see him get his comeuppance."

"What were the terms exactly?" Rey asked. Ben's figure was agitated as he fidgeted against the bars.

"If I failed to convince you that the First Order had surrendered, Hux would proceed to take out the Resistance. Including you. Personally."

"And if you succeeded?"

"Then he would have to back off. The First Order would be disbanded. And... and I would get to have you."

"I'm not some prize to be won." Rey spat. "I am a person! I have feelings!"

The tears began to fall again.

"Ben.... I.... I trusted you. I.... I gave you everything...." She gave him a pained look. "Everything." She repeated quietly. "All you did was lie." She turned her head away from him in defiance.

"Rey, that's not true!" Ben said, pressing himself up against the cell bars. He desperately wanted to hold her. To console her. To convince her not everything had been a farce. His cheeks and upper lip puffed out slightly, like they so often did when he was frustrated.

"Rey.... I love you." He confessed.

Rey's heart felt torn. Part of her wanted to rejoice at his words, the other part felt crushed.

"I made that bet without thinking of the consequences. I never meant to hurt you. All I wanted was you. You're all I've ever wanted."

Rey continued to sniffle at wipe at her eyes.

"No one has ever looked at me like you have. Cared for me like you have. Rey... I'm so sorry."

Rey broke down into a full fledged sob, sliding down her cell bars to the floor.

"Rey... Please believe me...." Ben begged, crouching down to meet her level.

"It's too late." She sobbed into her wrist cuffs.

"What do you mean it's too late?" He asked.

"We'll never get out of here. Hux and Phasma have taken over."

xXx

Finn landed an X-Wing in the hanger of the Finalizer. The cockpit slid back and Finn hoisting himself quickly down its ladder.

"Hands up!" A trooper ordered him. Finn obeyed, placing his hands behind his head in surrender. The trooper rushed forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him forward harshly.

"Traitor!" The trooper hissed, giving Finn a punch to his gut. Finn about doubled over by the impact.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Phasma said cooly, approaching Finn and the trooper who held restrained his arms.

"FN-2187." She said with a nod. "Have you come to surrender to the new Supreme Leader?" She inquired, slightly tilting her head.

"The Resistance will never surrender!" Finn said loudly, struggling slightly against the trooper that held him.

"Is that so?" Phasma said, taking a large step towards him. "Then I suppose I have no choice but to take you prisoner."

"Captain, the Supreme Leader said...." The trooper began to protest.

"The Supreme Leader can deal with traitors later. He has other more pressing matters to attend to. Gather your soldiers and report to the shuttles at once!" Phasma ordered the Trooper, yanking Finn's from the troopers grasp.

"Yes Captain." The trooper said, turning and stalking off in the opposite direction.

Phasma held her blaster to Finn's back as she directed him back towards the service elevators.

"Hands behind your head, traitor." She snapped at him as the elevator doors opened. Finn turned his head slightly to glare at her, making sure to keep his arms within compliance as he entered the elevator.

"Code 3208 huh?" Finn said to her after the doors had shut.

Phasma lowered the blaster from his back.

"I knew you would remember." She said, sounding pleased.

"Why are you doing this?" Finn asked.

"I would worry less about the why and rather how you're going to get them off of this ship."

"Them?"

"Yes. Them."

"Who else is locked up?"

"The former Supreme Leader."

"Hux locked up Kylo Ren? What for?"

"It seems Hux did not care for Ren's affections towards Rey." Phasma said. Finn turned around, making a face.

"His affections?!?"

"Yes, affections. Gods, you men are so daft sometimes." Phasma said, shaking her head.

"I'm not here him. I'm here for Rey."

"They're a package deal. How else do you expect to get off this ship? Once Hux finds out they're no longer in the holding cells, this entire cruiser will go into lockdown. You'll need his help to get back to the hanger. Now do I need to lock you up for real or are we clear Finn?"

Finn frowned, his brow furrowing at Phasma's request. On one hand, this was the First Order here. All he ever knew about the First Order was pain and suffering. On the other hand, Phasma had intentionally sent a coded message in the hopes of saving Rey. Plus, she had called him Finn. Something not to be taken lightly he noted.

"'Fine." Finn agreed.

"Excellent. You will need this." She said, handing him an electronic key card. Finn took the card she held out to him.

"You have five minutes before the troops begin their departure from the cruiser." She instructed as the elevator came to a halt.

"Yes Captain." Finn said. Phasma smirked under her helmet as Finn exited the elevator.

"Don't let my training fail you." She warned him as the doors closed between them.

xXx

"..... Rey?"

"Don't talk to me Ben." Rey said, her back to him against the cell bars.

"Rey... Please...." He said again. She was still very angry about being tricked. Her occasional sniffs made it clear she was still crying.

The elevator chimed on the opposite side of the holding cell door. Rey and Ben looked up at the sound, Ben hurrying to his feet the best he could.

The doors hissed open and Ben had to blink his eyes several times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"REY!"

"FINN!" Rey cried, struggling to stand up in her cell.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here?" Rey asked as Finn activated the lock on her cell door with a key card. The door swung open and Finn rushed in, giving Rey a tight hug.

"It was Phasma."

"Phasma?" Rey and Ben said together.

"She sent the Resistance a coded message, letting us know they had taken you prisoner. I'm helping you escape." Finn ran the key card across the Cuffs on Rey's wrists and they clicked open, falling to the floor. Rey enveloped Finn in another tight hug.

"Finn, I'm so sorry." She cried into his shoulder.

"I know. It's okay." Finn said, patting her back.

"We don't have a lot of time. The First Order will be departing for Hoth any minute now." Finn said as he exited the cell and brandished the key card at the lock on Ben's cell.

"What are you doing?" Ben asked Finn.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you too good to be rescued?" Finn sarcastically asked Ben as the door clicked open. Ben made a face.

"Thank you." Ben muttered as the restraints were unlocked from his wrists.

"Remind me to make you say that again in front of the Resistance." Finn told him.

Finn hurried ahead towards the elevator with Rey right behind. Ben reached for her arm, pulling her back towards him. She whirled around, mouth open in protest, struggling to pull her arm free from his grasp.

"Rey, I'm so sorry." He told her again. "I got us into this mess. I will get us out of it. But please believe me... Everything I told you in here was true.... Everything..."

His eyes pleaded with hers. He could feel her search his mind with the Force, now that she was free from the cuffs. Her arm relaxed and her face softened.

"Oh Ben." She said, flinging her arms around him. Ben pulled her in tight, his arms wrapping around her shoulders, a hand trailing into her hair. She was his, and he was hers.

"Escape now. Hug later." Finn said to them.


	20. At The Beginning

*briefly inspired by 'At The Beginning' by Donna Lewis & Richard Marx*

Once they were in the elevator, Finn reached into his jacket and pulled out Ben's saber.

"Where did you get this?" Ben asked Finn, quickly taking it from him.

"It was in the hub of the lock up. Can't tell if Phasma did that on purpose or if one of the troopers was stupid enough to leave it there."

"Probably the latter." Ben muttered, clipping the saber to his belt.

"What do we do when we get up top?" Rey asked Finn.

"Poe's got the fleet on standby. The base has already been evacuated."

"Thank goodness." Rey said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"We just need to get off this blasted ship and away from the First Order." Finn said. Rey turned to Ben.

"Hux has the Knights with him. What can we do about them?"

"Leave the Knights to me. You and Finn make it to the Falcon. Be careful, the hanger is going to be swarming with troopers." Ben told her.

Rey nodded.

"I don't have a weapon." She said.

"I'll take care of that." Finn said as the elevator slowed. He looked at Rey.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready." Rey said.

The doors to the elevator chimed open and there was a brief window of obliviousness where Rey and Finn darted to the right and Ben to the left.

"Follow my lead." Finn whispered to Rey. A duo of troopers passed by them as they hid behind the anchor of a TIE fighter.

Finn tackled one of the troopers from behind and while the second trooper was caught off guard, Rey used the Force to trip the other one. They quickly dragged them behind the anchor and Finn knocked them upside their helmeted heads with the back end of one of their blasters. Finn handed the other blaster to Rey.

"Can you see the Falcon from here?" Finn asked Rey as they peeked behind the anchor.

"It's on the far side of the hanger." Rey whispered. In between their position and the Falcon were five armored transport shuttles in the final stages of being deiced with the glycol mixture.

"We can't get past without being seen. It's impossible!" Finn whispered. Rey peeked over the anchor one more time, her eyes flicking up to the command center overlooking the hanger.

"Finn.... I think that's the point." She whispered to him.

"What?!?" Finn hissed. Rey stalked in a crouching position to the anchor opposite from Finn. She looked both ways before darting into the open hanger.

"Hey! You there! Stop!" Shouted a trooper.

"Dammit!" Finn said, running out after her. Blaster shots started firing at them left and right.

xXx

"What is taking so long? Why weren't the shuttles properly deiced before now?" Hux whined as he peered out the command center window at the hanger below.

"Supreme Leader, you didn't command the deicing to begin until after your meeting with the Knights." Phasma said to Hux as she stood slightly behind him.

"It's putting us behind." Hux said as he paced angrily. There was a shout from below and blaster shots began to ring out in the hanger. Hux stepped towards the window and pressed his hands up against them.

"Blast! She's escaped!" Hux said, banging a fist on the glass.

"What. Oh no. How did that happen." Phasma said unenthusiastically.

"DISPOSE OF THE SCAVENGER THIS INSTANT!" Hux yelled through the intercom at the troopers below. Then Hux noticed a second figure blasting at his soldiers darting in and out from behind the transport shuttles.

"FN-2187.... How did he get here?"

Hux whirled around to Phasma, his eyes burning.

"It was YOU, wasn't it?" He accused, advancing upon her from his position at the window.

"I warned you betting wasn't your strong suit." Phasma said, raising her spear in defense as Hux approached.

"I HAVE WON!" Hux raged. "I AM THE SUPREME LEADER NOW! THE FIRST ORDER WILL NEVER FALL!"

Hux reached for his blaster inside his long jacket, brandishing it towards Phasma.

As he aimed for her, Ben came rushing in from the side, his light saber ignited.

"Think again." Ben growled as he swung his saber down across Hux's forearm, slicing the limb to the floor, the blaster falling with it.

Hux yowled with pain and stumbled backwards, clutching his severed arm tightly to his torso.

"You will pay for this!" He hissed at Ben.

"You never should have touched her." Ben spat at Hux.

"That criminal is FILTH. She has no right to be here." Hux seethed as he continued to nurse his limb, sweat beading along his brow.

"I never should have made that bet with you. I should have ended the First Order rightfully when I had the chance." Ben said to Hux.

"The Knights will be here any second." Hux replied, glaring at Ben.

"Let them come. I took out Snoke's guards, I can take out my own if need be."

"You?" Hux choked. "You betrayed Leader Snoke???"

"Come now Armitage." Phasma said, removing her helmet and rolling her eyes at him. "Did you really believe that Rey took out Snoke and his guards all on her own?"

Hux fumed and his face turned several shades of red, a look of panic and embarrassment flashing in his eyes.

"You did? That's so sweet." Phasma said. She stomped over to Hux's slowly cowering figure and grabbed his uninjured arm, hoisting him upwards.

Just as Hux had said, the Knights of Ren entered the command center one by one.

"Supreme Leader. What is the meaning of this?" One of the Knights asked Hux.

"Don't just stand there! Arrest these two!" Hux shouted at them.

"Do not listen to him." Ben yelled at the Knights. "I am your leader!"

"Master Ren..." The Knight said. "Hux said you were imprisoned for conspiring with the criminal who killed Snoke."

"Does it look like I'm imprisoned to you?" Ben asked.

"He lies!!! Your beloved Leader killed Snoke!" Hux yelled as he struggled against Phasma's grip. "He is the traitor! Arrest him at ONCE!" Hux demanded.

"But you told us it was the scavenger who killed Snoke." One of the other Knights said to Hux.

"See? He lies to you all." Ben said. "First he says the girl killed Snoke. Then he says I killed Snoke. He can not be trusted."

One of the Knights looked at Ben and Ben squared his shoulders, sizing himself to his most intimidating of figures.

"Forgive me Supreme Leader." The Knight said, bowing to Ben. "How may we be of service?"

"Take this scoundrel to the prison cells." Ben ordered. "And then you are dismissed. For good."

"Supreme Leader?" The Knight asked curiously.

"You heard me. I am disbanding the First Order. We are no longer under Snoke's reign. The Knights of Ren will have no more affiliation with the First Order."

"But Supreme Leader...."

"Would you like to join the General in the cells?" Ben threatened, rotating his saber in his hands.

"No.... No, Supreme Leader." The Knight said. The Knight took of his helmet, revealing a the face of a square jawed man with short brown hair and brown eyes. He laid the helmet in front of Ben.

"It's been an honor, Kylo Ren." The man said, bowing. Ben nodded to the man. The rest of the Knights followed suit, removing their helmets and giving a bow. The first Knight took Hux from Phasma, giving her a slight nod. Phasma returned the nod, a hint of pink in her cheeks as she eyed the man.

"Come on." Ben said, turning and kicking away Hux's severed arm as he went to exit the command center.

xXx

"I can't hold them off much longer! I'm running out of shots!" Rey yelled to Finn from her position behind one of the transport shuttles.

"You need to get to the Falcon! Do you think you can get the shields up in time?" Finn called back to her.

"I can try!" Rey said. She checked her surroundings before darting out and aiming at a series of troopers as she ran towards the Falcon. The ship was feet away, she could see the lowered ramp. A well aimed shot from one of the troopers shot the blaster from her hands and she found herself stumbling to the ground.

"REY!" Finn yelled, rushing out, shooting at the troopers as he went.

"STOP!" came a commanding voice from behind Rey. Rey looked up and saw Ben and Phasma storming towards her and Finn.

"Lay down your weapons!" Ben ordered the soldiers. The troopers looked at each other hesitantly.

"What are you fools doing? Lower your weapons!" Phasma shouted at them. The troopers dropped their weapons and a few instinctively raised their hands in a surrender.

"Ben!" Rey cried as she scrambled to her feet. "Where is Hux?"

"The Knights took him to the cells." Ben told her as he walked past her. He focused his attention on the room full of troopers.

"You have been relieved of your duties!" Ben shouted to them all. "The First Order is no more!"

There was a murmur throughout the hanger.

"General Hux has been imprisoned for treason against the Supreme Leader. Anyone who would like to join him, I can personally see to your imprisonment as well." He announced. Troopers began to remove their helmets, still looking at each other with confused and shocked looks on their faces.

"DISMISSED!" Ben yelled with a final bark.

"Ben..." Rey said, rushing up to Ben and throwing her arms around him. Ben stumbled back at the impact. He pulled back from her slightly and raised her face to his, kissing her fiercely. Her hands traveled to tangle in his hair as the kiss deepened.

"Get a room." Phasma called out.

They broke apart and Rey giggled. Ben looked a bit annoyed. Finn cleared his throat as he approached them.

"We need to let Poe know to call off the fleet." Finn said to Rey. She nodded.

"I've got to deactivate the weapon systems." Ben said.

"What are you going to do next?" Rey asked him, reaching for his hand, lacing her fingers through his.

"I will come when I've got things squared away up here." Ben told her, running his other hand down the side of her face gently. Rey blushed and squeezed Ben's hand.

"No more lies." She said to him sternly.

"No more lies. No more bets." Ben agreed.

Rey leaned up on her tip toes and gave Ben one last kiss before she and Finn left for the Falcon.

xXx

Following Finn and Rey's return, the Resistance had deflected back to the base on Hoth while a better suited base could be established in a less harsh environment.

Poe gave Rey a large hug upon her return to the base.

"I knew you could do it." He said, giving her one of his dashing smiles and a wink.

Leia welcomed Rey back with a long embrace that made her feel slightly embarrassed.

"You did it Rey!" Leia told her proudly. Rey blushed at the General's praise.

"You were right Leia." Rey said.

"About what?" Leia said, looking confused.

"There is still light in him. In Ben."

"Oh honey, you didn't need to tell me that. I already knew." Leia said, giving Rey's shoulders a squeeze.

"After all, mother knows best."

It had been several days since the dismissal of the First Order. There was outrage throughout the galaxy from the First Order supporters. Mostly the rich that profiteered from the weapons sales to the First Order. The casinos on Cantonica were forced to turn away some of their best customers as they began to gamble recklessly with their slashed fortunes. Word passed through that General Hux and several of the First Order Officers were currently imprisoned on Coruscant.

Rey was assisting Poe with some repairs on his ship while Poe gave BB-8 a wax treatment. BB-8 happily purred as Poe scrubbed at his belly with a large orange towel. He beeped curiously at Rey.

"Yes, you do look very shiny." Rey said to BB-8. BB-8 happily beeped in reply. Rey looked over her shoulder at Finn and Rose who sat together at a nearby ComLink computer. Rose was clearly flirting with Finn but Finn was very oblivious to her advances.

Rey smiled lightly to herself and found her mind wandering to what Ben was up to. There had been no transmissions from him and any news that had come through in regards to the fall of the First Order didn't say anything about him or his whereabouts. She could feel his anticipation of their reunion through their Force bond, though no connections had occurred between them. She smiled again to herself, returning to her work only to be distracted yet again by a screech emitted by BB-8.

She turned her head towards the entrance of the hanger, where a figure in a dark jacket with a fur lined hood now stood. There was no mistaking the snow covered boots though.

"Ben!" Rey shouted, dropping her wrench and running up to him.

Ben shook his dark hair out from under the hood, an awkward grin on his face as she ran into his open arms.

He swung her around and she laughed, clinging to his broad shoulders. A soft chuckle emitted from his throat at her reaction. He set her down and she excitedly reached up for his face, drawing it in to hers and kissing him.

"Your face is so cold!" Rey remarked as she drew back from his lips.

"Well, it is negative 25 standard outside." Ben said, giving a slight shiver.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up." Rey said to him, admiring his new clothes.

"There is a lot of business to handle when deconstructing a military fleet." Ben sighed, kicking off the snow from his favorite boots.

"You're here now." Rey said, brushing snow from his jacket. "That's all that matters."

Ben didn't answer her as he had become distracted by someone behind her. Rey turned and saw Leia hovering near the Falcon.

Ben stepped away from Rey, slowly approaching his mother. The atmosphere of the room was hushed. Even the winds outside seemed to cease in the moment.

"Hi Mother." Ben said softly, breaking the silence. Leia didn't reply, but she did not move either.

Rey and the others watched on as Ben neared the General.

"You're back." She said simply, slightly raising her chin.

"Yes. I'm back." He quietly replied. He was standing feet from her now.

"You look like your Father." Leia stated, eyeing his jacket.

"You've always said that." Ben reminded her. She lightly smiled.

"I have, haven't I?" Leia said.

The two then embraced, Ben's tall figure nearly enveloping Leia's small frame.

"Finn, are you crying?" Rose asked, breaking the awkward silence that hung in the air.

"NO!" Finn sharply replied, hastily wiping at his face.

Ben stepped back from his mother and turned his attention to Finn. Finn turned red, already flustered from embarrassment.

"Thank you." Ben said loudly to Finn. Finn looked startled for a moment but then gave a small smile and nod to Ben.

"You're welcome." Finn said to Ben. Rose looked at Finn like he was the most fascinating man in the whole galaxy.

"So you and the Supreme Leader, huh?" Poe said to Rey, coming up next to her. "Is that what that whole 'kissable' thing was about?" He asked. Rey blushed.

"It's okay. If the General supports it, so do I." Poe said, patting her on her shoulder. He turned and went back to his ship to continue the repairs Rey had abandoned.

Rey went back up to Ben and laced her arm around his waist.

"So are you here to stay?" Rey asked him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm considering it." He said.

"Considering it?" Rey asked. As if on cue, Ben sneezed loudly into his jacket sleeve.

"That's right. The Tauntauns...." Rey said.

"Oh my. I was in such a hurry I forgot to change my clothes." Leia said, brushing fur off her jacket.

"You sure like those damn lizards." Ben said.

"Language Ben." Leia scolded. Ben rolled his eyes.

"We won't be here much longer." Rey said to Ben. "We're working on finding a better base. One with better weather."

"Good." Ben said, his nose twitching. "Any ideas?"

"A few." Leia said. Her eyes twinkled. "I'm thinking we might try Endor."

"I wouldn't say I'm opposed to Endor." Ben said with a shrug.

"Glad to hear it. You know -" Leia said, leaning in close to Rey. "Ben was conceived on Endor."

"MOTHER!" Ben said, clearly embarrassed. Rey blushed.

"I'm just saying...." Leia said, giving Rey a wink and walking off. Ben turned to Rey, running a hand through his hair, flustered.

"So... Endor, huh?" Ben said to her. She smiled up at him and leaned up for a gentle kiss.

"I'll take wherever, as long as I'm with you."

END


End file.
